Always
by Molly333
Summary: The wolves didn't make it in time to stop Laurent from biting her and now Bella is alone with no family. The Cullen's have no idea. Will Edward and Bella find each other again before it's too late?
1. Impossible

I've pretty much written the whole story, but I'm doing some final edits and spell-checks as I post every chapter. Review please!

Disclaimer: All characters, etc. belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

**Alice's POV**

"Damnit, Jasper! That's cheating!" Emmett yelled as he threw his video game controller out the window for the second time that month. He hated it when Jasper manipulated his emotions to make him overconfident and reckless.

"Emmett, don't make me take that game away again!" Esme scolded from the dining room, where she was pouring over the blue prints for her latest house restoration project.

Emmett's eyes opened wide. "Sorry," he mumbled. Jasper chuckled and looked up at me from his seat on the floor against the chair I was lounging in. I ran my fingers threw his hair absentmindedly, gazing into his eyes.

"Rematch. Double or nothing," Emmett growled.

Jasper winked at me and turned back to Emmett. "You're on."

I smiled to myself and turned back to my perusal of the most recent French issue of Vogue. Of course, I had already 'seen' the issue once the editors were finished making decisions, but that didn't stop me from inspecting every page in person so I could scoff at the various atrocities. I also made a final mental list of the things that I needed to buy when I went shopping tomorrow. Black and white checkered Chanel jacket? Check. Balenciaga tote? Defi—

_Bella was walking down the stairs in front of a school building that said 'Collins High School' above the doors, with a book bag slung across her body._

I gasped loudly and dropped the magazine, all thoughts of clothes and shopping gone from my mind.

"Alice? What happened? Are you okay? Alice, what is it? Did you have a vision?" Jasper was in front of me in a flash, urgently trying to figure out what had caused me to have such an extreme emotional reaction. I had yet to regain my ability to speak.

"Carlisle? Carlisle! Something's wrong! Come quick!" Jasper called quickly while trying to calm himself, but was starting to look panicked when I didn't answer him.

"Bella," I whispered.

"I know you miss her, sweetheart," Jasper soothed, kissing the top of my head.

"No," I said as I stood slowly. "I _saw _Bella!"

"Oh. Well it's okay, you didn't mean to, did you? Edward won't be mad." Jasper was trying to understand.

"No," I said once again as I shook my head. "That's not it. I just saw Bella as she was when we left!"

"But that's impossible," Jasper stated uneasily.

Carlisle was next to us now, deep creases forming on his pale forehead as he too tried to grasp what I was saying.

"Her eyes… they were gold." My voice was barely above a whisper as I sat back down on the couch and stared off into space, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Alice, are you telling me that you just had a vision of Bella as a vampire?" Carlisle spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Yes, as a _teenage _vampire. She was probably still eighteen." I replied. The Bella in my vision didn't look any different than the one that we had left.

"How is that possible?" Carlisle's expression was still one of shock. It was unsettling to see him so troubled.

"Edward?" Jasper called out quietly. We all turned to the doorway, where Edward was standing with an intense expression.

"What is going on?" He was clenching and unclenching his fists.

"We don't know, Edward. Give me a moment, please." Alice choked out.

"Alice, describe the vision in as much detail as you can, please." Carlisle said after a moment.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath. "She was at the entrance of a school, and it looked like she was leaving. The name of the high school was 'Collins High School'. She had a book bag and it looked like she was leaving the building, but there were only a few other students around. Her eyes were gold."

"Edward? Are you okay?" His eyes were black and narrow, his face twisted in a multitude of emotions.

"What. Does this. Mean." He hissed in a low, strained voice. No one answered him.


	2. Hallucinations

**Bella's POV **

I sighed and started toying with the strap of my bag as I began to walk home for the day, trying not to think about the lonely night ahead of me. I focused on the steps under my feet, taking slow, deliberate steps. Few students had ventured outside, as the weather was particularly dark and dreary. I reached the bottom of the steps and began to make my way along the sidewalk towards my apartment several blocks away. I was counting the cracks in the sidewalk when I sensed something to my left. It did not feel like the normal warmth and presence of a human. I looked up and saw that it was just Edward. I smiled sadly at him.

Then something in my brain stopped me, and I did a double-take. Sure, I saw Edward all the time, but what I did not expect was Alice to be standing next to him. I had never hallucinated _Alice _before. And they were both so vivid. In my memories, I could only see a dull, blurry version of Edward. This was clearly an Edward seen through vampire eyes. Perhaps my imagination was beginning to work _double_ overtime.

I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to believe that he wasn't here and he wasn't real. That was the only way to alleviate some of the pain.

Confused and curious, I glanced around to make sure that no humans were around to see me staring peculiarly at my imaginary vampire ex-boyfriend. I took a step towards Edward and breathed through my nose cautiously; I needed to be sure that it was safe, and that I really _was _imagining everything. But when my brain should have registered the smell of the damp air, I felt as if my nose had been burned; his scent overwhelmed my mind. I froze and deliberated for about an eighth of a second before my instincts told me to _get the hell out of there_. I didn't know how I could have possibly imagined Edward's _scent_, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

In my peripheral vision I saw Edward and Alice move as well. _Shit_. Hallucinations don't suddenly start running after you. I considered the possibility that it was really Victoria's doing, and she had somehow enlisted vampires that had the power to impersonate Edward and Alice's bodies. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, but I still heard footsteps gaining on me. Imaginary ex-boyfriends don't move, and if they did, they certainly wouldn't make footstep noises when they ran.

Confusion and pain washed over me and I heard sobs start to rip through my chest. I didn't understand what was happening to me. I collapsed, unable to run any further. I laid my head on the brown leaves that scattered the forest floor and fell to pieces.

I heard noises approaching me from behind, which only made the pain worse. After all those years hiding and running and praying she wouldn't find me, she finally had. I curled into a ball as a last, feeble attempt at protecting myself, and let the pain come. If I really was imagining this, I couldn't believe how bad the hallucinations were getting. I needed help. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone to ask. And if it was Victoria, then I would die anyway.

There was no point in fighting it anymore. I could only hope that she didn't drag it out. I wanted it over quickly.

I let the dark hole expand and consume me.


	3. Real

**Edward's POV**

Every inch of me was screaming in agony and delight as I saw my Bella standing mere feet away from me. There was no way this could be real. My whole body ceased to obey my brain and I couldn't move, even if I had wanted to. I couldn't understand what the expression on her face meant. She looked sad and resigned. She did not, however, look surprised. Had she been expecting us? After a moment, a look of curiosity came over her face. She walked towards me. I held my breath.

As soon as she took a step forward, her amber eyes snapped wide open and she froze for a brief moment. Then, she ran.

I stood there in shock for a full two seconds before my body started to run after her, with Alice a half-step behind me. I caught up with her quickly, only to find that she had stopped and was on the ground curled up in a ball, tearlessly sobbing. Was she hurt?! As I walked closer to her, she heard me and started sobbing harder. I froze, unable to think. Alice put her hand on my arm and stepped forward slowly so she wouldn't frighten Bella. As I watched her small figure shaking and sobbing, I felt like my body was shattering in a million pieces and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Bella?" Alice asked quietly. "Bella, it's Alice. Are you okay?"

We waited for what felt like an eternity, but Bella's sobs did not lessen. "We have to do something, Alice!" I hissed under my breath. Alice's face was twisted in pain, as she nodded slowly. Bella's screams ripped through me like the venom that had burned through my veins over a century ago.

_Edward, I'm sorry. I couldn't see what would happen – I guess she hadn't decided yet._ Alice's thoughts did little to change how I felt at the moment, but I didn't blame her. Bella's pain was my fault.

"Call Carlisle," she whispered softly as she stepped closer to Bella, reaching underneath her and gently lifting her up into her arms. Bella started crying out in pain as if Alice's arms were on fire, but she didn't fight it. I would have traded anything in the world to be the one with my arms around Bella in that moment. We quickly ran back to our house, which was located just outside of town. Carlisle met us at the door.

"What happened?" His voice was calm, but his thoughts betrayed him; I could hear the pain and grief in his mind.

"She saw us and ran. I don't understand. Is she in pain? She's been exactly like this for at least the last twenty minutes or so. Carlisle, help her…" Alice's voice broke on the last word. She placed Bella gently on a sofa, and her cries diminished slightly. Bella's arms were wrapped tightly around her torso. In the corner of my eye I saw the rest of the family enter the room.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" Carlisle lightly touched his hand to her arm. She gasped when she felt his touch, and her body snapped straight up and in less than a second she was on the opposite side of the room against a wall.


	4. Reunion

**Bella's POV**

I vaguely felt the feeling of air moving around me, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I didn't snap out of it until I felt someone else lightly touch my arm. The last time I had contact like that with another person, besides the occasional hand shake or other such occurrence, was twenty-five years ago. I'd spent a long time trying to avoid the touch of a vampire, particularly of the one who wanted me dead. Needless to say, I was not accustomed to anyone touching me. It signaled my body to choose between fight and flight.

My instincts kicked in once again and my body flew across the room, trying to assess the situation. I stood at a wall and bent my knees so I could be ready to defend myself, trying to survey the room and get my bearings. I noticed that all the exits were blocked. Suddenly everything else was put on a back burner as I realized what, or more specifically _who_, was blocking them. _Alice. Jasper_. _Emmett_. _Rosalie_. _Esme_. _Carlisle_. _**Edward**_. For a moment I just stared at them, taking in the sight before me, trying not to let my eyes linger on the one that I missed the most. I couldn't believe they were all standing in front of me after so long. But I couldn't let them get near me, or I'd be done. I didn't know what they wanted or if it was really even them. A second later, Carlisle broke the silence with his calm, authoritative voice.

"Bella, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you alright?" I frantically searched the room to look for a way out. I was outnumbered, and though I had never really intended to fight since I didn't exactly know _how_, I knew my only choice was to escape.

"Bella?" While he waited for my answer, I realized I only had one option left. If I made the decision quickly, perhaps I could make it. I wasted no time in making my way to one of the doors, figuring I could try to jump over Jasper and run outside. I couldn't go back to school—I knew that they would find me there—but at least I could go collect my few belongings so I could start over somewhere else. I hated the idea of having to abandon my routine here and start a new one, but I didn't have a choice.

My plan was brought to a halt as Esme collided with my body only a few feet from the door. I saw several vampires launching themselves at me and a pair of hands caught my leg. As soon as I felt Emmett's body secure my own, I gave up. My legs gave out from underneath of me as I was surrounded by Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. I felt the uncontrollable pain flooding through my body again. I couldn't handle it when they touched me. It hurt too much. All this time, this was what I was hiding from. I was avoiding being captured by the inevitable. I briefly wondered if it would hurt. I knew I had to get out of there, but I couldn't get my body to move, even if I hadn't been pinned down by two grown vampires.

Alice's voice entered my ears as she shrieked, "Stop! You're hurting her! Stop it!"

"Jasper, are you okay?" Esme stepped forward to Jasper. How did he get hurt? I didn't think that was possible for a vampire. I opened my eyes to look at him. Jasper was curled up in a ball, his fists clenched and his body was shaking. Alice stood next to Jasper, her eyes closed and face blank.

"She… The pain. I don't know how… God, it hurts. What is going on?" Jasper slowly stood, holding onto the couch for support. Then he looked at me. I was terrified he was going to kill me. I didn't know what I was doing to him. I was afraid I had hurt him.

"I'm sorry," I cried in a broken voice. His hand flew to his head. What was I doing wrong? I tried to suppress the all-consuming panic in my chest.

"Is she torturing you?!" Carlisle asked in a panicked voice.

"No, no. She's just in so much pain, and she's so scared. I—I've never felt anything like this." He was still doubled over in pain, kneeling on the floor. Then suddenly I realized what was happening. He was able to feel my emotions. I distantly remembered something like that from my memories.

"Emmett, Rosalie, let go of Bella. It will help the pain — for both of them." Alice put a hand on Jasper's shoulder.

I felt most of the hands let go of my body as I closed my eyes, not caring what happened anymore. I didn't move.

Let them kill me. I had nothing to live for, after all. In fact, the idea appealed to me as a way end to all the lonely, painful nights. I could almost feel myself being ripped apart and burned to ashes. I hoped that it would finally end the pain. I hoped that if there was anything after this life, it wouldn't hurt as much. I wasn't sure whether I was going to hell, heaven, or no where, but I prayed with every ounce of my being that my suffering would end.

I cringed as I felt two little arms lift me up and carry me back to the couch. Suddenly, I was sitting upright. I opened my eyes, and faced seven vampires, whose expressions ranged from terror to concern to confusion. I realized that several of them were staring at my face intently. I snapped my eyes shut again at once.

"Bella? What happened to you?" Carlisle asked.

"Please," I spoke my first words. "Please, just let me go."

No one spoke.

"I… I promise I won't bother you again. Just let me go." I explained with my eyes still closed.

"What?" Edward's tense, velvet voice penetrated every part of my body, filling it with pain, love, and longing. I gasped from the sudden intensity of it and stood up. I opened my eyes and immediately realized that they were much too close. Most of them could cross the room in a stride or two and touch me to touch me in half a second. I had to put more space between myself and them, so I stood next to the far wall again.

"Bella, _what happened to you_?" Alice's voice broke through the sudden silence. "You're a vampire. Who changed you?" Anger laced through her tone. I didn't want to make Alice mad, but I couldn't tell them.

"Look, I didn't know you were here. I wouldn't have come."

"Actually, we didn't live here. We did have a house here already but we only moved back when Alice had a vision of you here." Carlisle's voice was surprisingly calm and comforting.

"You… you followed me? You're hunting m-me with her? Are you going to help her kill me?" I stuttered in a barely audible whisper, my voice increasing as my emotions got the better of me.

Edward snarled and I figured I had my answer. A cry escaped my throat and Alice appeared at my side, making me flinch. She reached out to me, aiming for what I predicted to be my neck. She stopped at my hair and touched it gently. Why were they playing games? I couldn't stand it. I didn't want to feel the pain. I prepared myself for what was coming.

"Where is she?" I kept my eyes on the floor.

"Bella, what are you talking about?" Carlisle asked me, confusion and horror clouding his face. I remembered that it wasn't supposed to look like that. "We're not going to kill you, Bella. We just wanted to talk to you. I don't want to make you stay if you don't want to, but who are you talking about?"

I stared at him, bewildered. Was he just trying to throw me off so they could surprise attack? That wasn't really necessary. There were seven of them and one of me. What did they think I was capable of? I wished I knew what they were planning.

"I—I know you… don't want me here. I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll leave town tomorrow, I promise." I mumbled.

"Bella, no! Why can't you stay? I'm sorry if we scared you." Alice spoke quickly. I noticed that she was steadily coming closer to me. I tried to prepare myself for defense, but I was having trouble thinking.

I looked around the room.

"Bella, how did you become a vampire?" Carlisle asked me after a moment.

I stared at him for several moments, trying to determine what his expression meant. Well, I might as well tell them. Maybe they would like me better if I gave them answers.

"Laurent," I whispered.


	5. Numb

**Edward's POV**

_Laurent_. Once I heard the name of the vile creature that damned Bella to eternity, I couldn't control the roar of pain that escaped my mouth. I was going to kill that dirty, despicable, wretched son of a bitch.

Bella's eyes snapped wide open in fear before she slid down the wall and started to stare off into space. It was like she was catatonic, if there was such a thing for a vampire. Carlisle told us all to give her some space. Only Alice remained to wait by the door.

"What if she leaves?!" I hissed at Carlisle, as he and Emmett practically dragged me out the door.

"It's her choice, Edward. We can't force her to stay here." Carlisle shook his head sadly. Jasper walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. I shrugged it off.

"Jasper, this is not the time." I hissed at him.

"Edward, your anger won't help anything. Just try to calm down." He said, looking at me with troubled eyes. I discovered that he was partially blocking his thoughts.

"Jasper, what is it? Tell me what you're hiding." I closed the distance between us and looked him in the eye, growling.

"Edward, calm down. If you relax, I'll tell you." He stood his ground. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

"Better? Now tell me!" I tried to keep my voice down.

"It's nothing important. I… I've just never felt anything like that." He looked at the floor.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bella. I've never felt so much fear and pain from one person. I literally felt like I would die, it hurt so much. It's no wonder she's sitting in there like that. She just shut down. It's better than feeling what she was experiencing before." He looked me square in the eye and let his thoughts flow freely.

"Show me what she felt," I said firmly.

"Edward, no, you don't need to do that." Jasper looked uncomfortable.

"I need to know."

"No, I'm not going to do that to you." He said firmly, though I could tell he was slightly frightened by my extreme anger.

"Jasper, I will ask you one more time nicely. _Show me what she felt_." I was snarling at him, my face only inches from him. Emmett and Alice approached us from the side. I turned my head to hiss at them, letting them know how completely serious I was. Carlisle flinched.

"Don't make me do this Edward. I won't do that to my brother." He looked at me pleadingly. I'd never seen Jasper so uncomfortable with someone's emotions before, even including when he has to sit with hormonal teenage girls in school.

I heard Alice scream as she saw what I decided to do. In an instant I was pinning Jasper against the wall, holding him by the throat and snarling at him. I could hear Carlisle's heated protests behind me, but I didn't listen. I could feel Jasper sending waves of calm at me, but they did nothing to penetrate my rage. After a few seconds I felt strong hands grab me from behind. I fought against them will all that I had. Finally I felt a total of four pairs of hands pull me from Jasper. I whipped around in anger, only to smash into Esme. She fell to the ground, startled. Her expression was enough to snap me back to reality and I realized what I had just done.

"Oh, Esme… I'm so sorry." I reached down to help her up. Her thoughts were full of shock and concern. "Can you ever forgive me?" She put her hand on my cheek and nodded sadly. _Of course_, she thought. I turned towards Jasper, only to come face to face with Alice. Well, almost face to face. She was much shorter than I, and therefore she had to tilt her head up while I tilted mine down.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Edward?" Her eyes were narrowed into angry slits and she glared at me with all that she was worth.

"I'm sorry, Alice. Jasper, I'm sorry I lost control. But you saw what I've done. This is my fault. You have to show me what she felt. I know it's going to hurt. But I _need to know_." I looked at him, trying to sort through his thoughts. "Think of it as payback for what I just did," I said wryly. After a moment, he sighed in resignation.

_Edward, I would never do this to you if there was any other way. Even if you did attack me. I'm sorry, _Jasper thought.

"Are you ready?" He looked at me for a brief moment before I suddenly felt like my body was splitting in half. The sheer terror and panic that I felt brought me to my knees and I couldn't breathe anymore. I felt tense and anxious, like I was sensing some sort of impending doom. The pain ran so deep and was so absolute, that I thought it would never go away or abate. I wanted to rip my own body apart, or have someone kill me, just to make it stop. It was the same as when I was changed, maybe worse. The pain was so vivid and unrelenting that I couldn't think of anything else. Finally it stopped. It took me a moment to collect myself. I stood to face Jasper again, who was frantically sending me calming waves to try and undo what had just been done. But it didn't matter; I would always have the memory.

"Is that what Bella felt when she was in that room?"

Jasper nodded. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I tried to help, but it was just too much. It ran too deep. I couldn't make a difference."

"What about now?"

"She feels the same, but it's almost like she's _numbed_. I don't know how…" He shifted uneasily.

"We have to find out what happened. We have to help—"

"No," Carlisle interrupted me. "We can only wait for her to talk to us. We shouldn't force her to do anything more." He turned to walk away, and I heard footsteps approaching me from behind and I turned. It was Rosalie. She looked me directly in the eye, like she was searching for an answer or something.

_Edward, what have you done?_ Her thoughts were not malicious. I could tell that she felt bad for Bella, because she had been alone for all this time. Her genuine feelings surprised me, but I was too preoccupied to consider them very long.

I sat down on the other side of the door, pressing my ear to the wall so I could hear any sound that Bella made. She wasn't even breathing.

She didn't move an inch for fifteen days.


	6. Trust

**Alice's POV – Trust**

"Carlisle, it's been too long. I know she can't die, but she must be very weak and in terrible pain. We've got to do something." I begged Carlisle to think of something to help Bella.

Edward hadn't moved from where he sat down outside of the door to the room where Bella was. He would only nod yes or no if Carlisle or Esme asked him a question. He, like Bella, hadn't hunted in fifteen days.

"See if you can collect some blood in a thermos and bring it to her. Maybe she'll drink it if she smells it. Take Emmett with you so he can do the same for Edward," Carlisle offered. I explained Carlisle's idea to Emmett, but wasted no time in grabbing a brand new thermos from the kitchen and running as fast as I could to go hunt. I found a small herd of deer, and between two of them I was able to get enough blood into the thermos to fill it and bring it back to Bella. I had a vision of Emmett doing the same.

When I knocked on the door to enter, Bella didn't move at all. I slowly approached her with the thermos full of lukewarm blood, and took off the cap for her to smell.

"Bella, you haven't hunted in over two weeks. You can't go on like this. I know you're thirsty. I brought you some blood in a thermos to drink." I spoke to her encouragingly. Once she smelled the blood, she looked at the thermos longingly with eyes that were black as night. I was amazed she could control her thirst like that after going so long without hunting. I held it closer to her, willing her to take it, and she recoiled. I sat back and crossed my legs, trying to show her that I wasn't a threat. I placed the thermos on the floor so that she could reach it but not have to get too close to me.

"Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. You can drink it. I won't move, I promise." There was still fear in her eyes, but I think her thirst won out, because she reached for the thermos. I didn't move a muscle while I waited for her to drink the whole thing. She finished every last drop and then set the thermos down where I had left it for her.

"See? You can trust me." I smiled at her warmly. "Do you want to go hunt now? I know fresh blood is probably much better than what I could bring you in a thermos." I willed her to stand up.

She remained still for another few minutes, her face remaining emotionless. She seemed to be taking in my appearance carefully. I realized it was because to her it was almost like she had never seen us before. Probably all that she could remember were bits and pieces of her dim human memories. Did she remember much about me? Did she remember that we were friends? Did she remember Edward? And why we left?

Finally, she nodded timidly. _Yes_, I thought. I stood slowly, and offered her my hand. She looked at me and then my hand. Then she slowly placed her fingers in my waiting hand. As soon as she touched me, she cried out and her face crumpled in pain and she pulled her hand back. Had I hurt her? She wasn't human, so I knew I hadn't crushed her hand or anything. I didn't understand what was wrong. It hurt me to see her like this. I wanted her to be the old Bella, the happy Bella. What had happened to her?

"Are you okay? I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. She nodded, but stood by herself and warily stood a few feet away from me.

"Are you ready? We can wait until you are," I told her. She nodded once after a brief moment, and followed me as I started to walk towards the door. _Shit_, I thought. The whole family could be out there.

_Edward! Edward can you hear me? She's coming out, get everyone upstairs immediately. I don't want them to scare her._

A second later I had a vision of Edward fiercely herding everyone upstairs. They would be gone by the time we left the room, as we were walking at human speed, and my family was running at vampire speed.

I opened the door wide and motioned to Bella to follow me again. She still looked absolutely terrified. We walked out the back door and headed towards the forest. I picked up a jog, and was pleased to see Bella do the same. We began to run until we smelled a herd of deer. She instantly attacked one and snapped its neck, her instincts showing how thirsty she really was. Before she drank, she turned around so that her back would not be to me. I realized she still didn't trust me. I searched quickly through my mind and found a vision that seemed to indicate she would feel better if I sat. I gave her a reassuring smile and sat down again so she could see I wasn't a threat. She reluctantly turned to drink the deer dry.

When she was done, she stood up, and I could tell that she needed another one. I smiled and nodded my head and hoped that she would understand. She hesitantly ran a few yards to kill another one, and I heard her drink that one too. Then her footsteps began to grow louder as she walked back towards me. We ran back towards the house together.


	7. Explanations

**Bella's POV – Explanations**

I'd spent approximately the last 13,148,719 minutes dealing with my fear and accepting my loneliness. And now that my numb and mindless routine had been interrupted, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what they wanted from me, or what I would even do if I could go back to my apartment. Were they working with Victoria? Had they notified her of my location? Was I unknowingly walking towards my death?

When we returned to the Cullens' house, I followed Alice in the back door and up the stairs. She opened a door and held it up for me. I decided that I didn't really have anything to lose. I stepped into the room warily, uneasy with her behind me and out of my line of sight. She didn't seem threatening, but I couldn't be sure. She walked over to another door and opened this one for me.

"I thought you might like to take a shower, as well as have a few moments to yourself." She turned on the shower and waited for me to strip down to my underwear. She pointed out a clean towel and shampoo and soap, and then started to leave the room. She must have seen the fear in my eyes because she said "Bella, I'll be right on the other side of this door. No one is going to come in here. You can just call if you need me. You'll be fine, I promise. Oh, and I'm going to get you some clean clothes." Then picked up my dirty clothing and closed the door.

I peeled off my underwear and bra and stepped into the hot shower. I washed my whole body and let the heat penetrate my body, relaxing my muscles. I refused to let my mind wander beyond the feeling of the water on my skin. When I was done, I toweled off and replaced my underwear and bra and wrapped the towel around my body. "Alice?" I called reluctantly. She cracked the door and smiled at me and placed new clothing on the counter, then closed the door again. I put on the jeans and t-shirt that she gave me and opened the door. Alice was sitting on her bed reading a book. She looked up at me and smiled again. Then she patted the bed next to her and held up a hair brush.

"Can I brush your hair so it doesn't dry in tangles?" Alice asked in a hopeful voice.

I froze. She hadn't tried to get rid of me yet, but what would happen when I had my back to her and was completely vulnerable? But she seemed to mean well, and I didn't want to upset her. I didn't want to give her family anything else to hold against me, so I sat down on the edge of the bed.

Alice reached forward to place the brush in my hair and I flinched. It felt like a gun against my head, even though I knew it couldn't do damage. She hesitated, but kept going. When she used one hand to hold the bottom of my hair so she could brush it, her fingers grazed the back of my neck, and before I knew it I was across the room facing her. She looked hurt.

"B—Bella, I'm sorry… I—I didn't mean to…" She started to cry softly, though of course no tears came. "Do you really hate me so much? Is the damage beyond repair? I know we hurt you when we left, but you won't even let me touch you!"

I didn't know what to say. I just watched while she cried on her bed, still holding the hair brush. All of a sudden, the door swung open, and Jasper was by her side. Jasper gave me a wary look when he saw me practically climb up the wall in surprise. He started to soothe Alice and calm her down.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. I turned to leave, but Alice stood and was in front of me in an instant. I instinctively raised my arms to protect myself and ran across the room again.

"Bella, STOP! I'm not trying to kill you! I just want an answer! Do you hate me?! Can we ever be friends again?!" She frantically searched my face for an answer.

"Alice, I—I…" My feeble answer was all it took to make her sit on the floor and resume sobbing. Great. This would really piss off Edward. I knew he was very protective of Alice; she was his favorite sister. And I'd just made her cry, twice. But why did she care anyway? She didn't want to be friends with me before. "I don't understand. You left… Why would you want to be friends now?"

She looked up at me and then looked to Jasper. Finally she turned back to me and said, "Edward thought that it was what was best for you…" My whole body went rigid at the sound of his name. The convulsions of pain returned again.

"Bella, I didn't say goodbye because he asked me not to. It wasn't because I didn't love you." She looked at me, her eyes begging me to understand.

I stared at her silently. I didn't know what to make of this new explanation. I didn't know whether to believe her or not.


	8. Answers

**Edward's POV – Answers**

She hated Alice because I made us leave.

Another intense wave of guilt spread through my body. All of this pain and suffering that she was going through was because of me. Laurent bit her because I left her unprotected. She was completely alone for the last twenty-five years because of me.

If I had been human, I think I would have died from the pain and guilt coursing through my body right now. Nothing compared to this. I would have rather spent the rest of my life with venom burning through my veins. Jasper came downstairs, with a pained expression on his face.

"Edward, please, you have to stop feeling guilty like this. I can't bear it, so I know it must be twice as bad for you." He spoke carefully.

"Jasper, you just saw what I've done!" I hissed. "I won't ever forgive myself for this. Alice thinks the same thing. I've heard her thoughts. She blames me for the fact that her best friend won't let her touch her. She blames me for the fact that Bella's spent the last quarter of a century alone. She blames me for not letting her check on Bella before, when we could have helped her sooner. And she's right. It's all my fault." I turned and left the room before he could say another word.

I let the pain come over me in waves as I lay outside the house on the grass. I wanted to be near in case Bella did or said anything else. Not that I expected her to want to say anything to me, as she had barely looked in my direction since we found her. Right now she and Alice were watching television. She sat on the sofa with her spine ramrod straight, tensing up whenever anyone made a movement. Bella wasn't ready to talk yet. At least she was letting Alice talk to her. I wasn't sure if she would ever let anyone else talk to her, but at least it was a start.

And as guilty and as horrible as I felt, I recognized another feeling that was buried deeply under the others; _hope_, because Bella was alive.

Then I heard Alice's voice.

"Bella, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Alice asked hopefully. I could tell she was dying to get Bella to talk to her. Bella was quiet for a long moment. Alice's mind was screaming with impatience.

"You want to know what happened." It wasn't a question.

"Well…"

"I can try." Alice nodded eagerly, but used her eyes to ask Bella if she was okay with the rest of the family listening in. "It's fine. They'll all find out anyway, right?" Bella laughed a dry, humorless laugh. Alice gave a tiny smile, but in her mind she was looking at the difference between the old Bella, and the new Bella. The difference was heartbreaking.

"After you left, I was… Well, I wasn't very close with anyone." She swallowed hard. "After a few months, I started to hang out with Jacob Black, Charlie's best friend's son. We got pretty close for a while, but one day he stopped talking to me. His dad said he was sick, but I thought something was up." Bella rubbed her hand over her eyes.

"One time I asked Jake to take me hiking and we did. We went a few more times until he stopped talking to me. So one day I decided to go by myself." Again, through Alice's mind, I saw her shudder and close her eyes. "Somehow Laurent crossed my path. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He told me that V-Victoria was looking for me. Then he mentioned that she would be pissed because she wasn't going to be the one to kill me." I heard a loud strangling noise and realized that it had just come from me. Bella seemed suspicious, but Alice put her hand on her shoulder before she could investigate. I saw Bella flinch at her touch, but she forced herself to sit still. I dug my fingers into the earth and forced myself to stay in control. Alice cleared her throat for Bella to continue and she began again.

_Edward, get it together! _Alice thought to me loudly. I could tell from her mind that she was bitter because Bella kept changing her mind about what she was going to say.

"As soon as I felt his teeth pierce my skin, I thought it was over." My body shook violently as I took in what she was saying. The thought of Laurent's teeth anywhere near my Bella made me hot with anger.

"But all of a sudden he let go and started to run away. I didn't understand what could make him do that, because I didn't think that it was possible for a vampire to stop while drinking human blood. I looked behind me to see what had caused him to run away and saw five bear-sized wolves." I noticed that Emmett was on the edge of his seat, practically drooling at the sound of such a challenge. I abhorred his thoughts.

"They ran right by me and went after Laurent. That's the last I remember because the pain set in. When the pain finally ended, I realized I was farther up the mountain. There was a note next to me that said if I hurt any humans that the wolves would kill me. The note was signed by Jacob. He said sorry, don't come looking for me. I love you, and good luck." She finally looked up from the floor and turned to look at the six people in front of her as she waited for them to speak.

"Bella, honey, I'm so sorry. If we had known, we would have…" Esme started to reach for Bella, but she flinched. Esme noticed her reaction and withdrew her hand calmly, but I could hear the pain and hurt in her mind. She was upset that Bella had spent all this time by herself, with no one to help her. There was another moment of silence before Carlisle spoke.

"Your eyes. They're golden. Have they always been?" Carlisle was trying to tactfully ask if she'd ever fed from humans.

"I've never killed a human, if that's what you mean." I could hear relief in everyone's minds. I didn't understand how she could have learned to resist all by herself.

There was another moment of silence before Carlisle spoke.

"Bella, you've had a long few weeks. How would you like to go home?" Carlisle asked. She nodded gratefully, but somehow seemed surprised. "Alice, why don't you drive her? And Bella, here are our phone numbers and address if you need anything. But I'm sure we'll talk to you again soon. You're welcome here any time." He smiled warmly and handed her a piece of paper. She took it carefully, clearly trying to avoid touching his hand.

After Bella and Alice got in the car, I couldn't hear them anymore so I relied entirely on watching the rest of their interaction through Alice's mind.

"Alright Bella, let's get you home." Bella seemed relieved.

"Oh, and I called your school to let them know that you had to go out of town for a family emergency and wouldn't be back for a few weeks. So you can head back whenever you feel like it, if you even want to." Alice explained happily as they pulled up to Bella's apartment building.

"Thanks, Alice." She gave Alice a pitiful smile and opened the door to get out of the car.

"You can visit any time you want, Bella. And I'll see you tomorrow at school. Bye!" She shut the car door and walked towards her apartment. Alice sped back to the house.


	9. Trouble

**Bella's POV – Trouble**

I decided to go to school just to keep my mind off of my other problems. Even though the mindless routine of boring teachers and immature students did little to keep my mind occupied, it helped a little bit. At least I was physically occupied.

I walked into math class and saw him sitting in the seat next to mine. It took all my willpower not to run back out the door.

I stood for a moment before deciding that I should just get it over with and leaving would only anger him more.

He looked up as I walked over and his face lit up. "It's nice to see you Bella," he said in a warm tone.

"What are you doing here?" I said, trying to keep my voice calm and not let the fear consume me. I was terrified of being so close to him. I relaxed a little when I thought that he probably wouldn't try to hurt me while there were all these humans around as witnesses.

His eyes darkened, but his smile never faltered. "Is this not AP Calculus?"

I felt anger and panic boil inside me. I tried to keep my breathing regular as I took out my notebook to take notes for today's class. I was acutely aware of Edward's presence next to me. At least I knew he wouldn't try to hurt me in front of all these humans.

As soon as class was over I bolted from the room as fast as possible without drawing unwanted attention to myself. Edward caught up to me almost too easily.

"Bella? I was wondering if I could talk to you." He said softly. What?! I couldn't be alone with him!

"Why?" I whispered. I couldn't believe he was going to do this to me. He seemed to be taking the emotional damage route instead of the physical pain.

"Do you have a minute?" He asked.

"Where's Alice?" I looked around in a panic, desperately trying to escape being alone with him.

"I want to talk to you… " I waited for him to continue. " … about why we left Forks." He mumbled.

"Edward, don't…" I pleaded, and the pain of saying his name ripped through me like a knife. "I understand. Please don't make me go through this. I know you don't feel the same as I do. I'm sorry, but I can't help the way I feel. I didn't know you and your family were going to be here, I swear. I'm really sorry I hurt Jasper and made Alice cry. Please, I'm not going to cause any more trouble for you." I turned to leave. It hurt too much, after all the time I spent ignoring the thoughts and memories. Now I was face to face with him. There was no escaping the pain here. I needed to get out of there before I lost control.

"Bella, wait—" He grabbed my arm as I started to walk away and I felt every part of my body go weak. The pain caught up to me. I couldn't control my legs as they gave out underneath of my body and my breath started to come in painful gasps, though of course I had no use for the oxygen. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would leave. "Bella—" He started to say something before someone cut him off.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" I recognized a senior from my English class running over to see what was going on. Edward growled, effectively scaring the boy, but he still didn't back off.

"Look, buddy, I'm not going to just let you hurt her. That's not right." He stated firmly, though I could see the fear in his eyes when I looked up, still trying to calm the strained gasps my lungs were drawing in.

"This is nothing that concerns you." Edward growled in his most menacing voice, taking a step towards the boy.

The boy looked down at me nervously. I had to give it to him, he had balls. I couldn't imagine standing up to Edward. "I'm leaving. Would you like a ride home?" I let my selfishness win and I nodded my head. I heard a low rumble come from Edward but I knew that Kyle wouldn't be able to hear it. I avoided Edward's eyes and grabbed my bag so I could follow Kyle.

Kyle walked towards a blue Honda and motioned for me to get in. I was afraid to be in an enclosed space with the stranger, but it was better than the alternative.

"Is everything alright?" Kyle's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I nodded my head. "Thanks," I whispered.

"No problem. So where do you live?" I considered this quickly. I didn't want him or anyone else knowing where I lived, but I didn't know where else to go.

I directed him through a few stoplights and we pulled into a neighborhood.

"That one," I pointed to a random house. He pulled up to it and put the car in park.

"Listen, if you need to talk to someone—"

"No, it's not like that. I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it." I tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Okay, but if you need anything here's my cell number. Call me if you get into any trouble." I carefully looked at his face and could tell that he was sincere. He was a good kid. I wished him well. I murmured another thanks and jumped out of the car. Just in case anyone was home, I pretended to go around to the back of the house until I heard him drive away. Then I stopped and looked around. I didn't sense anyone, so I started running. It wasn't very far back to my apartment.

I carefully slipped from the woods back onto the sidewalk and went in through the lobby. I was ready to fall to pieces in the privacy of my own bedroom. I dropped my keys on their hook and hung up my jacket. Then I went into the living room. The window was open; I didn't leave it open this morning.

"Bella? Please, just talk to me." Edward was standing in the doorway. He'd found me.

Without time to think about anything else, I flung myself out the window. I landed with a crack on the sidewalk. Thankfully, no one saw me. I took off running before I could even examine the damage.


	10. Too Late

**Edward's POV – Too Late**

Bella headed for the trees and started winding through them, but I stayed on her tail the whole time. After a few minutes, she realized that she couldn't shake me. She was fast, but I was faster. She finally slowed down to a stop and turned towards me, but didn't look at my face. Instead she focused on the ground.

"What do you want from me, Edward?" Bella said in a small voice. What did I want? I wanted to run to her and hold her in my arms. I wanted to touch her soft hair and kiss her sweet lips and look into her deep topaz eyes. I wanted to erase everything that had happened in the last twenty-five years. I wanted to take back everything I said the day I left her. I wanted her to forgive me for all the unforgivable things that I'd done. I wanted to love her and be able to call her mine.

"I just want to talk to you." I said gently.

"Fine. Just say it, if you must." She hissed.

"Bella, I—I didn't mean to hurt you when I left. It was dangerous for me to be around you and I just wanted to keep you safe. I thought that my family leaving Forks would keep you safer." I stared at her, trying to gauge her reaction. I took a step towards her, but she took a step sideways to maintain the distance between us.

"I don't understand," she managed to whisper.

I sighed. "Bella, I'm sorry. I cared for you so much that I left to keep you safe. I only wanted you to live a normal, human life."

"What about what you told me right before you left?"

"I lied. I lied, and I'm sorry. It was the biggest mistake of my existence." If only she knew how badly I wished it had been different. How much I had wished I was human, so I could have been with her.

Understanding flooded her face. I felt relieved.

She sighed sadly. "Edward, you don't have to say these things just to make me feel better. I've been fine without you for the last twenty-five years, there's no need to start making things up now." I felt every part of my body fill with the aching pain that had consumed me for those twenty-five years. _No_. She had it all wrong. How could I make her understand?

"Bella, what are you talking about? I'm not saying these things to make you feel better. It's the truth! Please, believe me!" I took another step forward and pulled my hand back as I realized I had been about to touch her.

"Edward, why should I believe you? What good would it do me now? Please, just let me go. I know you don't feel the same as I do, and I'm sorry. I can't help the way I feel. Please, I just want to be alone." She ran off before I had a chance to respond, and this time I let her go.

"_Edward, why should I believe you?"_

She was right. There was no reason for her to believe me. There was no reason for her to trust me or even give me a second glance. Look at what I had done to her.

"_I know you don't feel the same as I do, and I'm sorry."_

Of course. It was too late. Too much damage had been done. I knew nothing could feel worse. It hurt more than anything to know that I was too late. I ached from the inside of my cold heart to every frozen cell in my body. I didn't think the pain would ever go away.

I don't know how long I stood there in the woods. Finally, sometime during the night, Alice found me and begged me to come home. I followed her, but went straight to my room so I could continue to suffer in peace.


	11. Surprised

**Bella's POV – Surprised**

Alice started picking me up everyday for school, chatting happily the whole time. I eventually started to trust that she wasn't going to kill me when I turned my back. I still didn't know if they had been in contact with her. Alice also invited me over every day after school, but I declined. I wasn't ready for that yet. It would make me too vulnerable to be surrounded by them again.

One day, I decided to just be honest and ask her about Victoria. She was talking about some human boy who had tried to ask her out today, even though she was clearly with Jasper. When she paused to take a breath, which was really only necessary so she could talk more, I took the opportunity.

"Alice, I need to ask you something." Alice stared at me. I realized that maybe it wasn't really my place to be asking her questions, or that she might resent being interrupted. "Never mind, sorry."

"No, Bella, you can ask me anything. I'm sorry, I was just surprised. You haven't really talked much." She smiled encouragingly at me. I decided to take the plunge before I could chicken out. What's the worst that she could do? Kill me? I was already dead.

"Have you been in contact with Victoria?" She gaped at me.

"_What? _Why would we do that?! That horrible bitch tried to kill you!" She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't fathom.

"I… so you aren't going to tell her that I'm here?" I asked hopefully.

"Bella, are you nuts?! We just found you. Why would we want to point you out to Victoria so she could start hunting you again?!" She was practically shouting at me, even though I could have heard her no matter how softly she whispered.

"It's just that, I've been running and hiding for a long time now, and I'm afraid. I didn't know if you would just decide to tell her so you wouldn't have to deal with me. I know you never planned on me being around for eternity." I stared at my hands in my lap. Alice pulled up to my apartment building and cut the engine so she could turn and look at me.

"Bella, we would _never_ do that. We all love you. You can trust us. You don't need to be scared anymore. We can protect you." She reached out to touch my hand, but I pulled away. "Why won't you let me touch you? I thought you'd forgiven me. Am I doing something wrong?" Her voice wavered.

"No, I did, it just…" My voice cracked. "It hurts, Alice."

"What do you mean?" She looked curious.

"I've just been so scared for so long, and I've spent so much time alone, that it really _hurts_. It just feels wrong. All the time I've spent running from the pain and ignoring the memories, it's catching up to me now. I'm sorry." I looked out the window, because her broken face was crushing my heart, or what was left of it anyway.

"It's okay. I understand. I wouldn't trust me either." She looked down at her hands.

"Alice, I trust you, it's just… hard for me." I didn't want to make her cry again. I was probably already on Jasper's bad side for making her cry the first time, so I didn't want to add to the list of offenses. I turned back to face her.

Alice didn't say anything, but pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side.

I owed her this much. She'd been driving me to and from school for several weeks. I could get over this for her. I turned to look at Alice, who held her hand out so that it was flat. I was surprised and scared until I realized that she had seen my intentions in a vision. I tried to control the unnecessary hyperventilation that I could suddenly hear. I raised my hand and slowly placed my fingers on her hand.

It felt wrong. My mind was screaming at me to stop, that this was dangerous because I was letting another vampire touch me while I was vulnerable. We were in an enclosed space, which meant that there was nowhere to run. I resisted the intense urge to rip my hand away, and closed my eyes. I focused on breathing deep breaths. After a few moments, I removed my hand from under hers. The relief was instantaneous.

"See? I'm fine." I gave her a small smile.

"Sure. You're just fine." She looked at me sadly. "Would you like to come over to the house?" She asked me this every day, even though I always said no.

This was the part where I would immediately respond with "I have to do my homework, sorry" or "I can't today, sorry." Today however, I considered the idea. If I went, what would we do? Who would I have to talk to? I figured I would be fine with Alice on my own, but I wasn't sure about anyone else. But for once I didn't feel like going back to an empty apartment.

"Is everyone home?" Her eyes grew wide, and I knew she was surprised that I hadn't turned down her offer. I briefly felt panic swirl in my mind as I realized she might have just been saying it to be polite. She replied before I had time to react.

"Well, Emmett and Rosalie are hunting, but everyone else is around somewhere." She watched me intently.

_Damn_. Of course, I hadn't expected him to not be there. He had school, as Alice and I did. I could tell that Alice knew what I was deliberating in my mind.

"We don't have to hang out with anyone else, of course. We'll have my room all to ourselves." She looked at me hopefully.

I swallowed nervously. I hoped I wouldn't regret this. "Okay."


	12. Mistakes

**Bella's POV – Mistakes**

Alice's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, wonderful! We could read magazines, or watch a movie, or play a board game, or watch TV! Or we could go shopping! We don't even have to be limited to the house! We could shop online, too. And of course, since Emmett and Rosalie aren't here, Jasper and Emmett can't hog the flat screen so we'll have that as well as the various gaming systems that go with it. And—" Alice babbled on excitedly, and I couldn't help catching some of her bubbling enthusiasm. I was actually looking forward to going somewhere other than school and my apartment.

That didn't mean that I wasn't scared. Actually, it was more like petrified. I started to think of all the things that could go wrong. What if the others didn't want me there? What if Edward got angry? What if they demanded I leave? It wasn't just Alice's house! Did they know that she had been inviting me over? What if I did something wrong? I felt sheer panic consuming me.

"Wait, Alice… Maybe this wasn't a good idea…" Alice was obviously aware of the panic and fear dripping off every word that I spoke.

"Bella, no way. You are not backing out of this now. We're almost there. It will be fine. What exactly are you worried about?" She looked at me pointedly.

"Well, besides the obvious, have you even asked your family if it's okay if I come over? I mean it's not just your house, what if they didn't want me to? And what am I going to say? What if I say the wrong thing? What if—" I began listing the endless ways that this could go wrong.

"Bella, stop! None of that is going to happen. Of course my family wants you there. And they will be excited you're there. I know things, you see." She tapped her temple. "Besides, I also know that _every single person_ wants you there. They told me so. They've been hoping to talk to you." I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but I relented in my efforts to get out of going to the house. I closed my eyes and concentrated on calming myself. I didn't want to make a big idiot out of myself because I was all flustered.

"Bella, we're here." Alice had her hand extended, but I could see she thought better of it. I realized we had pulled into the garage. Alice hopped out of the car, and I followed. Once again, I had to suppress the urge to run. We entered the house through the back door and found Carlisle and Esme chatting pleasantly in the living room. _No turning back now_, I thought.

"Carlisle, Esme! Look who agreed to come over for a visit!" Alice skipped towards them. They both turned and to see what she was talking about.

"Oh, Bella!" Esme's sudden enthusiasm startled me, which made her smile falter ever so slightly. They rose slowly and made there way over to where I was standing.

"Good afternoon, Bella. How are you?" Their warm faces were encouraging.

"Fine, thanks. Yourselves?" I mustered up the happiest smile I could.

"We're wonderful, thanks for asking. Welcome to our home. Would you like Alice to give you the grand tour?" I wasn't certain what I wanted, but I felt that it would be impolite to decline the offer.

"Sure." I spoke shyly. Alice bounded over to the doorway and beckoned for me to follow her. I was very nervous. Would we encounter Jasper and Edward in the tour?

Alice led me through all the downstairs rooms, showing me certain things, such as how the hot tub worked. Apparently this was a very thrilling experience for a vampire, being surrounded by hot water. It warmed our skin a few degrees, she'd said. Interesting. I knew it felt nice to take a hot shower, but the feeling didn't last very long. I could see how this might be especially pleasant.

We finally began the upstairs tour. She showed me her room, Emmett and Rosalie's room, and Jasper's study. She opened the door to reveal Jasper at his desk, reading a large, old book. He stood to greet us.

"Hello, Bella. How are you today?" Jasper smiled at me sincerely. I was terrified that he would be angry at what I had done to him the first time I was at the house.

"I'm fine. Yourself?" I smiled back at him, feeling slightly more at ease. I wondered if it was his ability.

"Very good. I presume Alice is taking good care of you? Did she show you the hot tub?" He too seemed to regard the hot tub as a one of the most prized possessions in the household. I nodded and Jasper chuckled. I knew if I wanted to say what I needed to, it was now or never.

"Um, listen, I'm really sorry Jasper." I held my breath waiting for his reaction.

"Whatever for?" He looked genuinely confused

"Well, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable when I first came here… I didn't know that you could feel me." I focused on the carpet beneath my feet.

"Oh, Bella, you don't need to apologize for that. It wasn't your fault in the slightest. _I'm _sorry. I feel terrible that you felt like that. At least I can leave the room." He smiled wryly. "And I would hardly say that you _came_ here. Seemed more like you were dragged here, to me." He looked deliberately at Alice, who looked back at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Wait, you said you didn't know about my ability?" Jasper looked puzzled.

I wasn't sure what to say. Was it a bad thing that I didn't know? "I'm sorry, I just didn't know." I returned to my examination of the carpet.

"But Bella, you knew about that. When you and—" Alice kicked him and he stopped mid-sentence.

"She must have just forgotten some of her human memories. None of us remember all of them, anyway."

"Right," Jasper concurred.

"Well, thanks Jazz, but we must move on to the rest of the house. I can't play favorites, after all." Alice kissed Jasper on the cheek and left the room. Jasper tipped his head and smiled at me. I smiled back at him, glad that he wasn't angry, and followed Alice.

Out in the hallway, she turned towards me. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess." She narrowed her eyes and stared at me for another moment. I began to get nervous.

"Are you sure?" She questioned me hesitantly.

"Yes. I'll be alright." I tried to reassure her because I didn't want her to get upset.

"Well, okay. Let's keep going!" She turned eagerly and grabbed my hand. I cried out in surprise.

A split second later, I stared in horror at the five alarmed vampires in front of me. Embarrassment and pain washed over me. All I could think of was that I had to get out of there.

"I'm so sorry!" I whispered before I took off down the stairs and out the back door towards the forest as fast as my legs would carry me.


	13. Apologies

**Bella's POV - Apologies**

I was absolutely horrified at what I had just done. I couldn't believe it. What was wrong with me? Well, obviously, a lot. I wanted to throw up or somehow rid my body of this horrible feeling.

"Bella, I'm right behind you. Don't be frightened." I heard Edward's voice call. _Shit_. I knew he would have no problem catching up to me. Before I could decide what to do, I heard his voice much closer.

"Could you slow down, please? Alice wants to talk to you. You don't have to go back, but she really wants to speak with you. She's afraid you're angry with her." I hadn't planned on stopping, but I couldn't help myself when I heard what he said.

"What did you say?!" I didn't believe my ears. Edward practically skidded to a stop when he realized that I had stopped running.

"She wants to talk to you."

"No, you said something else. You said _she's afraid I'm angry with her_." I narrowed my eyes, trying to see if he was just messing with me. I couldn't trust him.

"Yes, she's afraid you're angry with her. She said she was very sorry and asked me to catch up with you and wait until she explained it to the others and so she could come apologize." He looked confused at my reaction.

"_She _is going to apologize to _me_?" I stared at him incredulously.

"Yeah, she'll be here in a minute to explain to you herself, but her thoughts at the moment were 'Oh, shit! I didn't mean to touch her, I just forgot! Bella's going to hate me.'"

I could only gape at him.

"Bella, are you alright?" He looked worried.

"I just… she's not angry with me?" I had feared the worst.

"No, of course not! Why would she be angry with you?" He was studying my face intently.

"Because I just—"

"Bella! Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. Please don't leave. I just forgot, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't go. Do you hate me?" Alice made it to where we were standing and interrupted me.

I stared at her, my jaw hanging open.

"Bella?!" She, like Edward, sounded confused.

"I don't understand. I just… I didn't mean to… I—I'm sorry, I…" I stammered, unable to clear my thoughts.

"Bella, please just say you forgive me." She pleaded.

"Alice, of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset everyone like that. I'm so sorry I caused a scene. Are you upset with me?" I held my breath.

"Definitely not. I'm sorry, it was my fault. I need to be a more considerate friend." She held her hands behind her back and looked at me.

I carefully assessed the situation. I couldn't smell any danger anywhere. I studied Edward's posture, which was much more relaxed than it was a few moments ago. Sensing no immediate danger, I forced myself to walk forward. I stood in front of Alice and held out my hand as I had done before, in the car. I was still careful to maintain an angle so that I could see Edward, in case he decided to do anything. She looked at me for a moment before extending her hand to meet mine, allowing her fingers to rest lightly, just as they had before. I allowed myself to adjust for a moment, and then slid my hand toward her. She looked surprised when I closed my fingers around hers, and cautiously reciprocated. An enormous grin broke out across her face.

"Thanks, Bella." I thought her delicate little face would break from the size of her smile. "Ready to go back?" I paused, but nodded.

Edward joined us and we all ran back together, though I trailed a few feet behind them as a precaution.


	14. Mischief

**Bella's POV - Mischief**

When we returned to the house, no one spoke of the incident. I was very grateful.

Alice and I headed straight to her room. We talked and hung out for a few hours, reading magazines and watching TV. After a while, Alice got a funny look on her face. An impish grin started to spread over her face, but was quickly replaced by an innocent expression.

"Bella, would you mind getting something for me from downstairs? I have to give something to Jasper." She looked at me expectantly.

"Um, sure Alice. What do you need?" I was suspicious, but the task seemed innocent enough.

"Oh, it's a book. I think I left it downstairs in the kitchen. It's blue. I have to take something to Jasper, but I'll meet you back here. Thanks, Bella!" She scurried off to Jasper's study.

I walked out of Alice's room, deeply immersed in my thoughts about what she could be up to, when I smacked right into him. I yelped, even though of course we couldn't get hurt since we were both vampires. When he grabbed me by the shoulders and quickly scanned my body, I noticed that he was close enough to me that I could feel his breath on my face. I shuddered from the proximity of his body, which simultaneously caused me pain and pleasure.

"Bella! Bella, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I was thinking about something else and I didn't hear you. Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He asked me urgently.

"I'm fine." I mumbled. He still didn't let go of my shoulders. I looked up at his face, carefully avoiding his eyes. _Please let go of me_, I thought. I swallowed and bit my lip.

"Sorry…" Several seconds later he finally released his hold and I quickly walked away. What the hell was that about?

"Bella!" Edward turned around at the end of the hall. "Earlier, Alice never got to finish giving you your tour. Would you like to now?" His face was emotionless.

"Oh, um, sure." Thankfully my heart was dead, or he would have heard it beating out of my chest due to the panic lancing through my body at the moment.

"Okay. Follow me." I trailed several feet behind him as he headed towards our next destination.

"This is Carlisle's office." It was similar to Jasper's study, but with a larger, grander mahogany desk in the middle of the room. The walls were covered with bookshelves filled with medical books. Edward closed the door and headed towards the next room.

"And this is the master bedroom." Carlisle and Esme's bedroom was beautiful, of course. Esme truly had a gift for designing and decorating houses. Edward closed this door as well and moved on to the final door in the hall.

"And this," he said as he turned the door knob, "is my room." He allowed me to step in so I could get a better look. There was the black leather sofa, a wall full of music, and of course, a new sound system, which probably cost more than an entire year's rent for my apartment.

"It's very nice." I smiled as best I could, trying to ignore the burning sensation that flowed over my body as I continued to be in his presence.

"Thank you. Now, I do believe Alice will want you back now. Emmett and Rosalie have returned, and there appear to be some plans being made."

"What does that mean?" I started to feel panic building inside my body again.

"You'll see. It might get a little crazy around here." He chuckled.


	15. Taboo

**Bella's POV – Taboo**

"_Taboo_?" Were they nuts? When they said game, I thought they meant a good old game of cards or something. What was _Taboo_?

"Yep! It's easy, but it's tons of fun. And it's not something that gets out of control physically; like that time we tried Slap Jack." As Alice reminisced, I saw Esme shudder. I assumed that the "slapping" part of Slap Jack had gotten out of control and done some damage to the house.

"Alice, why don't you explain to Bella how to play?" He looked at his sister with an amused expression.

"Sure! Okay, so we pair up in teams of two and both people take turns guessing and making up clues. For example, if the card was Hitler, you would have to try and describe Hitler so that they other person could guess it without saying any of the taboo words, which for Hitler could be like Jews, Germany, Nazi, Holocaust, and Swastika. That's just an example. Get it? You have to see how many you can get before time runs out. Someone will push the buzzer if you get it right. Oh, and you can't make hand gestures, or speak in other languages. It's easy." She skipped over to sit across from Jasper. It appeared that everyone had already paired up according to mates. That made sense, except for the fact that it left me and Edward. I froze for a moment, wondering what to do.

"Bella, I usually referee, as it would be impossible for me to play fairly since I would be able to hear my partner's thoughts. I help keep Alice in check, so she doesn't cheat and use visions." Alice stuck her tongue out at him. "But since I cannot hear your thoughts, would you like to be my partner? That is, if you'd like to play." Edward waited patiently for me to answer.

"Well, I suppose I can try to play." Did I just say that? I can't be his partner! I'll make him lose! "I've never played before though, so I don't know if I'll be a very good partner." I added quickly.

"It's alright, it's not about whether you win or lose; it's about how you play the game. It'll be fun. Besides, I myself have not played, only watched. So it will be a learning experience for us both." He winked at me and I felt my rock hard body turn to mush. It also hurt, because I knew he was only saying it to be nice.

"Yeah, 'cause we're gonna win. Right Rose?" Emmett looked as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning. That made me nervous.

"Okay, Emmett, you may go first then." Carlisle suggested before the betting could begin.

"Okay, Rose you guess first." Emmett readied the stack of cards and looked at Edward, who had the timer ready.

"Go!" Said Edward as he started the timer.

"Our third honeymoon—"

"—Rome!" _ Buzz!_

"I've had 110 of them!"

"Birthdays?" _ Buzz!_

"Yes! Okay, occupation of that sexy costume you wore with the red heels and the plus sign on your—"

"—Nurse!" _Buzz!_

"Where you were born…"

"New York!"

"What's the capital?"

"New York City!" _Buzz!_

"Periodic table symbol is Au—"

"—Gold!" _Buzz!_

"Um… OH, OH! I know, Alice sees it!"

"The future!" _Buzz!_

"Okay, time's up!" Edward said as he reset the timer for the next team.

"OUR TURN! Jasper, you can guess." Alice all but screamed as she reached for the pile of cards.

"Ready? Go!" Edward hit start.

"Okay, Jazz. This drives you crazy at school when the humans with two X chromosomes have it—"

"—PMS!"_ Buzz!_

"It's that thing under your diaphragm that helps digest and deto—"

"—Kidney! Liver! Sple—" _Buzz!_

"Yes, liver! Okay, I could plan it… "

"Outfit? Party?"

"YES, now say it in another language!!" Alice was now standing on the couch, violently urging Jasper to get the answer.

"Fête? Fiesta?—" _Buzz!_

"Okay, when you buy something to give to someone else, you use this and it knots around the paper. Little girls tie them—" _Buzzzzzzz! _"SHIT I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY TIE! DAMNIT EDWARD, STOP BUZZING THAT THING!"

"And… time!" Alice snarled at Edward, snatched the timer from his hand, and threw it out the window. We all heard a loud crash as Alice flopped angrily onto the couch.

"Alice," scolded Esme. I figured the game was over, but Edward got up and went over to the closet, returning with another time. I felt less surprised than I should have.

"This is not the first time that's happened, obviously. So we have learned to order replacements ahead of time," he said to me. He turned his head and caught me staring at him; I thanked whomever might be watching from up above a hundred times over for the fact that I couldn't blush. I quickly averted his gaze, but thought I heard him chuckle quietly.

"Okay, Carlisle and Esme, it's your turn. Ready?"

"Yes. I'll guess if that's okay," Esme said.

"Sounds perfect," Carlisle said serenely.

"Okay, go!" Edward hit start again.

"Uh, okay, you tried this occupation briefly in 1973, but too many people hit on y—"

"—Librarian!"_ Buzz!_

"Excellent. Okay, the taste causes humans to make a funny face, like a fish."

"…Tart? Sour?" _ Buzz!_

"Yes! Okay, all humans have the right to bear arms, though these wouldn't—"

"—Guns!"_ Buzz!_

"Okay, you go there and people make lovely sounds with their vocal cords. La Traviata—"

"—Opera?" _ Buzz!_

"Yes! Okay, hmm… Oh, what does Emmett try to hide when he breaks something?"

"A mess?"

"No, it's more like in regards to his punishment…"

"Proof?"

"Yes, but another word!" I'd never seen Carlisle so keyed up!

"Evidence! _Buzz!_

"Time! So I guess that leaves you and me, Bella. Are you ready?"

"Sure." No. I was terrified. How badly would I make us look? Would he hate me? I couldn't bear to think of the possible outcomes to this disastrous situation.

"Would you like to guess, or think of clues?"

"Um, I'll guess."

"Perfect. Carlisle, would you care to time?" He passed him the timer and score card.

"Ready? Go!" Carlisle started the timer.

"Okay, Bella. You cross the T's and _something_ the I's…"

"Dot?" _Oh my god he was staring right at me._

"Right! Okay, every 365 days people celebrate matrimony on their…"

"Anniversary." _Of course he's staring at you, Bella. He's your partner!_

"Yes! Okay, Mary Poppins used this to fly—"

"—Umbrella!" _He smells so good…_

"Okay, those small square yellow things humans put everywhere with to-do lists and notes or remind—"

"Sticky notes!" _Bella, focus!_

"Almost, but it's the brand name."

"Oh, Post-It notes!" _You can't love him. He doesn't love you._

"Yes!! Okay, Humans do this when they see Rosalie, and while they sleep it comes out of the corner of their—"

"—Drool?"

"Okay you use your fingers to touch QWERTY—"

"Keyboard!"

"Time! Excellent job for your first time, Bella." Carlisle said as he wrote down our score. I felt slightly pleased with the outcome, but was still very uncomfortable with being next to Edward all night.

We played for a few more hours, but finally Carlisle and Esme won. It was a close game though. Edward and I did better than I thought we would.

Afterwards, Alice and Jasper had disappeared upstairs and I didn't intend to follow them. I was happy to give them their privacy, except for the fact that I needed Alice to give me a ride home. I figured I would just have to run home. It wasn't a huge inconvenience. Then Edward came up to me.

"Can I offer you a ride home? I know Alice is otherwise engaged." He said with a knowing smile.

"Um, that's okay I can run." I didn't really want to spend twenty minutes alone with Edward.

"No, really, I don't mind taking you. Actually, you would be doing me a favor by giving me an excuse to get out of the house while the others… celebrate." He said, raising one eyebrow to indicate a double meaning.

"Oh, okay. If you want you, thanks." I didn't want to decline his offer twice. It would have been rude.

"Alright then, are you ready?" He grabbed a pair of keys off the counter.

"Um, yeah." Why was I so utterly eloquent?

"Well then, shall we?" Edward held the door open for me and we walked into the garage. He pointed to a shiny silver sedan and opened the car door for me as I shyly slid in on the leather seat.

"So, did you have fun tonight?"

"Yes, it was interesting." Well, it definitely was interesting. Or at least what I saw was. I had a hard time concentrating on the game, because his god-like face was three feet away from me the whole time. He was absolutely remarkable, and now that I had vampire vision I was able to see every detail, and memorize every curve and line. I'd never had such a long chunk of time to look at him before. It was all during class, when we had to pretend to pay attention to the lesson in the front of class, even if we weren't concentrating on it.

"I try not to encourage board games whenever anyone suggests them. They tend to not turn out well. Tonight went pretty smoothly though, I have to say."

I nodded my head in agreement.

We pulled up to my apartment a second later. "Thanks for the ride." I tried to give him a warm smile.

"Anytime, Bella. See you tomorrow."

"Bye," I said as I shut the car door.

Wow. That was an interesting night. I'd just spent more than 12 hours at the Cullens' house. It felt surreal. I knew I shouldn't have gone. It felt wrong in every way. I felt the familiar ache of loneliness return. I unlocked my apartment and search through every room, as I always did. I didn't know what I was looking for, but it made me feel a fraction safer from Victoria. I knew she had found me before, so it was very possible she could find me here. I pushed the thoughts aside and quickly finished my homework. It was only 6am. I had more than an hour until Alice came to pick me up, so I turn on the television and stared at the screen vacantly while replaying last night's events over in my head. And that's when I realized I couldn't do this anymore.


	16. Leaving

**Bella's POV – Leaving**

I prepared my speech over and over again in my head until I heard Alice pull up outside the building. I had packed up my few belongings last night so I could leave after I talked to Alice. I went outside to meet her. Unfortunately it looked like she had already seen my plans, because she sat behind the wheel, irate. I climbed in cautiously.

"Bella, please don't go."

"Alice," I started, trying to keep my voice steady. "I can't do this anymore. I have to leave." I stared out the window, twisting my hands in my lap.

"Why?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Bella, no! Why?!" Her black eyes were searching mine.

"It's just not safe for you. I've already put you in danger by coming to your house and driving to school with you. I'm so sorry." I wanted her to understand without telling her the details.

"Why isn't it safe? I'm a vampire, for Christ's sake. There's not much that isn't safe for me!"

"Victoria is looking for me. And when she finds me, she'll find you." I whispered softly.

"But we haven't seen her in years! You don't even know if she's alive! Besides, where else could be safer than with us?" She was leaning towards me closely.

"No, Alice. She's alive." I decided to tell her the truth. I knew she hadn't seen this part coming. "I know because she's found me before."

"What?" Fear was written all over her face.

"She found me before. And if she finds me again, I don't want you to go down with me. Please understand. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before." I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up.

"No. You're not leaving." Alice turned forward in her seat and hit the gas.

_Click_. She'd locked the doors.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I squeaked out. This was it. The gig was over. They _had _been in contact with Victoria. And now they were going to turn me over to her because I was trying to run. _This couldn't be happening_. I reached for the door, thinking I could probably claw my way out. I had to try something.

"Bella, if you rip the door off my car, you'll be sorry." Alice hissed.

"What's the difference? You're going to kill me anyway!" The sobs started to escape my throat.

"Bella, I'm not trying to kill you! I'm trying to help you! I'm taking you back to the house. We'll protect you, I promise. I'm _not _letting you go again. And neither will anyone else. Even if you leave, we'll just follow you." All I could do was slump in my seat and let the sobs overcome me. I didn't know what they were going to do.

We pulled into the garage and Alice opened her door. I didn't move.

"Bella, come inside." Alice walked around to my door and opened it. I closed my eyes and didn't answer her. I struggled to control the sobs ripping through my throat.

"Bella, please don't make me carry you. I know it hurts you. But I'm not going to let you run away." She crossed her arms while I glared at her.

"Emmett," she called softly. My eyes widened in fear.

"Alice, don't do this." I couldn't stop my voice from breaking as I begged her to let me go.

"Bella, please just come inside and talk to us! We want to keep you safe! We're not going to let Victoria kill you!" She had her tiny hands balled up into fists and her eyes were onyx.

"No! You're being stupid! She's going to find me, and then kill you too! Why don't you understand that?!" I stood and screamed at her. She looked shocked at first, but then got angry again.

"Bella! There are seven of us! Victoria is no match! Now come inside or Emmett will have to carry you. I'm not letting you go without a fight." Her voice rang with finality. I saw Emmett standing a few feet away and practically jumped several feet in the air.

"Wait, wait!" I backed away from Emmett's intimidating figure as I felt panic overcoming me. "Please don't do this!" I knew my voice showed every bit of the fear that I felt.

Emmett reached out for me.

"No, I'll go." I said weakly. He nodded, but gestured for me to go first. That made me very uncomfortable, but I didn't really have a choice. As soon as we left the garage, I decided to make a break for it. I sprinted towards the woods but I didn't even make it ten yards before I felt someone tackle me from behind. I could no longer control the sobs that were racking my body.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." Emmett murmured as he carried my screaming body towards the house.

"She tried to run for it." He said sadly as he carried me into the dining room and gently set me down. My sobs quieted, but they didn't stop. _Wait_. I have another option.

"Bella! Don't do you dare try to run again!" Alice screamed as soon as she saw my future. She was too late. "Okay, everyone spread out. Bella, I'm sorry. But now we're just going to have to hold you while we talk." I tried to keep moving so they couldn't catch me, but Rosalie got me. Her hands caught my body and she called out for help as she held tight against my struggles. I tried to escape for a few more seconds, and then gave up. Emmett came over and replaced Rosalie's grasp on my shoulders. I tried to control the shudders running through my body, but it was hopeless.

"Bella, have a seat. We just want to talk about this." Carlisle said calmly. "However, we really shouldn't be forcing you to stay here, and I apologize." He looked meaningfully at Alice, who narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.

"I already t-told Alice everything there was to say!" I was barely able to control my voice.

"Bella, why did you try to leave?" Carlisle asked evenly.

"Because she will find me here. She will find me, and then she will kill me. And then she will realize that we were in contact, and she will kill you, just because she can. Why don't you understand that?" I tried to keep my voice from screaming, but I wasn't able to focus.

"Bella, you don't know that she's going to find you." Great. Here it was. They would find out I lied to them, and then they would turn on me.

"Yes, I do." I whispered, looking at the floor.

"Bella, what are you talking about?" Alice was instantly at my side with her eyes narrowed. I saw her eyes become unfocused as she searched the future, and then she gasped as she saw what I was going to say.

"She found me before. I just got away." I heard several snarls, and I sat down on the floor and put my head on my knees. Emmett released one hand but still held one arm securely. "I'm so sorry." Sobs were escaping my trembling body again. Emmett slid down to the floor next to me, and held me close to him. He rubbed my arm gently. I was surprised. The only memories I had of him were his strength or goofiness. I hadn't expected him to care.

There was silence for a moment. I figured they were planning how to get rid of me. Would they kill me? Or just throw me out? I couldn't stand the silence.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. Just let me leave, and I'll never come back. I'm so sorry." More snarls. I guessed that meant that I couldn't just leave. The scary part was that I found I didn't really care what happened to me. One way or another I'd be dead. It was just a matter of whether I would continue to walk among the humans, pretending, or if my ashes would be scattered somewhere to rest for eternity. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on Emmett's shoulder. I heard the surprised reactions of several people, but I didn't care anymore. It was slightly comforting, and I'd take what I could get right now. It was definitely easier to embrace my fate. I felt Emmett put his other arm around me. It was an strange feeling, to say the least. And it didn't feel threatening.

"You're staying with us." I heard Edward's voice. My head snapped up and my eyes flashed open in an instant.

"What?" I couldn't believe, that he, out of all of them, would suggest such a thing.

This time it was Carlisle who spoke. "Bella, you may stay here. The seven of us can protect you."

"I don't understand." I shook my head.

"Basically, the next time that bitch comes a' knocking, we'll let Emmett answer the door." Alice said wickedly as she came to sit on the floor a few feet away from me, and I looked at Emmett, who was grinning excitedly.

"She doesn't stand a chance, Bella." He said with a gleam in his eye.

"I—I don't know about this." I didn't think I could handle living with anyone else, let alone seven other vampires, for the first time in two-and-a-half decades.

"Come on, Bella. It'll be fun." Alice looked at me with a heartening face.

"Alice, I… I don't know if I can handle living here," I admitted. I hoped I had spoken quietly enough so no one heard me but Alice. Emmett probably had.

"Bella, it'll be fine, I promise." She nodded her head to encourage me to say yes.

"Bella, I think you should say yes because Alice doesn't plan on letting you say no. She'll just keep trying." Edward's voice interrupted my thoughts. I was surprised he was okay with the idea.

I looked around the room. I could always run away, right? I bit my lip, thinking hard about the situation. I realized Edward was right. Alice would keep pursuing the issue until she got her way. It would be better not to cause any trouble.

"Temporarily." I stated carefully.

"Yay! Okay, let's go pack up your stuff." Alice started to skip towards the door. She seemed very excited. Emmett finally released me. I sighed in relief.

"Um, Alice? It's already packed." She paused, comprehension dawning on her.

"Oh. I see. Well, that's good, then. We'll just need to move it. Edward, can we borrow your car? I'm not sure if it my trunk is big enough."

"Certainly. Would you like some help?" He offered politely.

"Well, since Bella has so many _heavy _boxes and we're just so _weak_ and _incompetent_, then I suppose, yes we'll need help." She and Edward gave each other playful smiles.

"Okay, I see your point." He tossed her the keys. "Have fun!"

"Thanks, Edward. Come on, Bella!" She opened the door and headed for the garage. I gave Edward a polite smile and followed Alice out the door.


	17. Excitement

**Edward's POV – Excitement**

As soon as Bella and Alice left to retrieve her stuff, I ran to Esme.

"Where can Bella stay? Is there a room ready? We should let her decorate it so she feels at home. We should get a bed, too. Do you think she has one at her apart—"

"Edward! I know you're excited, but calm down. Of course we can let Bella decorate her room however she wishes. She can redo the guest room. It's the smallest room, which is why no one wanted it, but it should be fine." Esme smiled at me, happy to see me excited for once. Her thoughts were ecstatic, but worried.

I went and joined Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle, who were discussing a plan of action. Or, I should say, lack thereof.

"What?! You're just going to let her come to us?! We can't do that! What if Bella gets hurt?! We have to hunt her!!" I started to feel anger raging through my body.

"Edward! Calm down! Getting mad isn't going to help the situation." Jasper said, sending me waves of calm.

"I think that the best plan of action would be to simply wait for her to come to us. If we split up and hunt her, we not only divide our numbers, but lose our advantage. Here we are familiar with this area, and are assuming that she is not. And don't forget, we have Alice on our side." Carlisle explained to me calmly.

I growled, picked up a lamp, and threw it at the wall. Then I stomped upstairs to help Esme get Bella's room ready for her.

_Throwing a temper tantrum isn't helpful, Edward_, thought Rosalie. I let out a snarl, which I knew she would hear.

But my mood couldn't be ruined – Bella was going to be staying with us. _My _Bella was going to be living under the same roof. The excitement made me unable to sit still.


	18. Scared

**Bella's POV – Scared**

Alice and I grabbed the few boxes of stuff I had and loaded them into Edward's car. I couldn't help but notice that it smelled like him. I leaned my head back against the seat and inhaled. Alice glanced at me, but said nothing.

When we returned to the house, I felt the panic rising through me again. I was still completely terrified of the idea that I was going to _live _here. Alice chatted cheerfully about my room and how she and Esme were going to decorate it. She asked if I had any preferences, and I shook my head. It wouldn't matter to me.

"Alice?" I decided to say what I wanted to before I lost my nerve.

"What's up, Bella?" She looked at me with kindness evident on her face.

"I'm scared." Well, that was certainly not what I had intended to say. But it was the truth.

"I know, Bella. But you don't have to be anymore. We'll keep you safe. You don't have to run or hide anymore. You don't have to feel afraid anymore. Even if she does find you, we'll just take her out. In fact, it'll be so easy I bet Emmett won't even get to enjoy it. He, Jasper, and Edward keep arguing over who gets to take her out. I think they finally settled on one of them holding her down, and the other ripping her head off." I stared at her.

"Oh, sorry. I probably didn't need to tell you that." She cursed herself under her breath.

"How's it going?" Esme appeared at the doorway, with Edward behind her.

"Is this room okay?" Edward asked me.

"Yes, of course. It's perfect. Thank you. And you really needn't redecorate it on my account. It's beautiful as it is." I answered while avoiding his eyes.

"Well, we can decide that later. Is there anything else you need right now?" Esme's kind face made me feel slightly more at ease.

"No, I think I'm all set. Thanks again, though." I tried to keep a smile on my face.

"Actually, Bella, we're going to buy you some new clothes. This is a pitiful wardrobe." Alice said and clicked her tongue.

"Alice, you are not buying me anything. I've already imposed enough."

"Bella, you would actually be providing the entertainment for her, I'm afraid." Edward's musical laugh would have stopped my heart if it hadn't already been cold and still.

"Yep! Besides, tomorrow is Saturday, so it's not like we'll have anything else to do."


	19. Kisses

**Bella's POV – Kisses**

"Bella! Come downstairs, there's something you should see." Alice grinned at me playfully, and I noticed that she had a video camera in her hands. I followed her, unsure of her intentions.

"Edward, I didn't do it!" Edward was glaring at Emmett accusingly.

"Okay, and who else do you think would do something so immature and childish? Esme perhaps?" Edward motioned to Esme, but Emmett held his hands up in the air to indicate that he was innocent.

Emmett and Edward glared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, I saw them lean in to each other. Then I realized they were kissing! Emmett and Edward were kissing! I stood next to Alice, shocked and confused.

"Run, Jasper!" Alice screamed, and I noticed she had stashed the video camera away somewhere. I saw Edward and Emmett break apart, identical expressions of shock and horror on their faces. They started shooting deathly looks around the room as they searched for the culprit. Luckily, Jasper had swiftly exited out the front door. I understood what had happened. Jasper must have sent them an emotion, probably a wave of lust, so that they would kiss. It was really clever, actually.

Then, I felt it; a light, funny feeling inside my stomach. I smiled and felt myself begin to laugh. Rosalie, Esme, and Alice joined me. Soon, I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe. I hadn't laughed like that in twenty-five years. That was a long time to go without laughing.

"Did Jasper just do what I think he did?" I gasped for air as I tried to communicate words to Alice.

"Yes!" She was grinning at me. I noticed that Edward and Emmett had gone after Jasper. At least Alice didn't seem too worried. I hoped they would go easy on him.

"Okay, Alice, how much do I owe you?" Rosalie took out her wallet, still laughing. I was shocked, but somehow this brought on a whole new fit of laughter.

A minute later I noticed Alice start giggling all over again.

"Excuse me, but I must go bring a fresh pair of clothes to my husband. He seems to have lost them at the moment." She laughed as she made her way up the stairs.


	20. A Smile

**Edward's POV – A Smile**

All I wanted to do was listen to my music in peace. And what do I get? Childish pranks.

I stomped downstairs to find Emmett, whom I was sure was the perpetrator.

"Emmett!"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"What are you talking about?" His thoughts were confused, so I figured he just didn't remember doing it, or thought I was referring to something else.

"My CD's!"

"Edward, I didn't do it!" I was going to kill him.

"Okay, and who else do you think would do something so immature and childish? Esme perhaps?"

Now Emmett's thoughts were as mad as mine. He glared back at me, trying to stand his ground.

Then I felt a sudden urge to kiss Emmett, and his lips were on mine. After a moment I realized with horror what was happening. _I was kissing Emmett._

We pulled away at the same time. I heard Rosalie congratulating Jasper in her thoughts. _Jasper_. He caused this. I felt my body shake with rage.

"Jasper," I hissed at Emmett. We ran out the front door after him. When I caught up to him, I held him until Emmett made it to where we where. Then we stripped him of all his clothes and launched him towards the highway. I briefly hoped he didn't leave a big hole, but couldn't bring myself to care very much. I was still very angry. We made our way back to the house.

When we entered the door, I heard Rosalie make a crack at Emmett. I didn't care about that; I just wanted to rip Alice into pieces for enabling this whole thing. I called out to her.

"Yes?" Alice skipped innocently down the stairs with a set of clothes for Jasper.

"I can't believe you would pull a stunt like that—"

_Edward, wait!_ Her thoughts interrupted me. _Listen to me! I only did it because I saw what would happen when if we succeeded. Bella laughed, Edward. Did you notice?_ Alice replayed the memory of Bella laughing until she couldn't breathe. It made my heart flutter with hope. She had looked so broken since we found her.

"But, Alice—"

_Edward! She's even still smiling! Look!_

I looked over at Bella. She was definitely smiling. Her beautiful smile even reached up to her eyes, which made my heart melt. I would kiss Emmett a thousand times just to see her smile again.

"Fine, I'll let it go this time, but don't you ever use me for your little experiments again!" I flashed her a warning look. She ignored me and just kept replaying the memory of Bella laughing. I smiled to myself. _I made Bella laugh_. I didn't need to remind myself that it wasn't my idea. She was still happy, even if only for a brief moment.

_You know, you should apologize to Jasper. I told him what you and Emmett would do to him if he did it. But he didn't care; he did it just to make Bella laugh. You could also thank me if you felt like it. My scheming does take a little effort, you know. _She smiled at me.

"Fine. Thank you." Alice's thoughts were triumphant as she skipped away to re-clothe her husband.


	21. Parties

**Bella's POV – Parties**

"Bella?" I was leaning back on my bed, relaxing, when Alice stuck her head in my room.

"Guess what? Since it's my birthday next week, we're going to a party!" She squealed in excitement.

"What kind of party?" I was very suspicious.

"A ball! Isn't that going to be fun?"

"Alice, balls aren't really my—"

"Bella, you're going, and that's the end of it. It's my birthday, you know…" Her face turned into a pout, which I knew I couldn't say no to.

"When is it?" I figured I could find some way to get out in a few days.

"Tonight."

"WHAT? Alice!" I couldn't believe she didn't tell me until the last minute.

"Sorry Bella, but if I told you any sooner you would have found a way to get out of it."

I sighed in resignation.

"Yay! Here's your dress!"

I examined the blue garment that she had laid on the bed for me. It was beautiful and silky in my hands. Alice stared at me expectantly.

"It's beautiful, Alice, but I can't accept this.

"Don't be silly, Bella. I was happy to do it and this dress is going to look great on you. Now come on, Rose and I are going to help you get ready!" And with that, she skipped out the door.

Alice and Rosalie darted around the bathroom, makeup and hair products piled up on the counters. I sat nervously on a stool to one side of the mirror. Alice was almost finished my makeup. Rosalie began to do my hair. I stiffened when she started working behind me, but reminded myself not to make a scene.

After about half an hour, they were finished. I looked in the mirror. My hair and makeup were flawless, but I couldn't bring myself to show much enthusiasm.

"Thanks," I said to Rosalie and Alice.

"You look beautiful, Bella." Alice smiled. I tried to smile back.

"The limo is going to pick us up in twenty minutes. You should go get your dress on. Do need any help?" Rosalie said sweetly. I was shocked. She hadn't really said much to me since I moved in, and from my memories of my human life I had gathered that she didn't like me very much.

"Um, I'll be okay, thanks." She nodded and I left for my room. The dress that Alice had picked out was hanging on the closet door with a pair of stilettos underneath. I assumed I was to put them on.

When I finished getting dressed, I heard a knock on the door. Alice poked her head inside.

"May I come in?" I nodded in response. Alice entered the room and I saw what she was wearing. **(A/N – Links to pictures of all dresses on my profile)** She was wearing a breathtaking off-the-shoulder black dress, with silver details and open sides. She was so beautiful that I didn't want to stand next to her. She even had on long, and probably expensive, diamond earrings. Then I saw what she was holding in her hands. There was another pair of long diamond earrings. She held them out to me.

"Oh, no, Alice. I am not wearing a pair of earrings that cost more than most people's house!" I shook my head fervently. She sighed dramatically.

"Fine. I knew you would say that, but I had to try anyway." She handed me some smaller diamond studs and a diamond and sapphire ring. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Go ahead. Try and talk your way out of these." I took them from her and she smiled triumphantly. "We're meeting downstairs in five minutes." She danced out of the room. I turned to the mirror and put on the jewelry. After sitting on the bed and mentally preparing myself for the rest of my five minutes, I left my room. As I made my way down the stairs, I saw Rosalie's dress. On her stunning body was an expensive, blood red fabric draped around her curves with a plunging neckline. She, like Alice, had long diamond earrings on. Esme's simple and elegant green dress suited her perfectly.

I scanned the rest of the family, to see all the men dressed in equally elegant tuxedos. I swallowed as I saw Edward, who looked especially nice against the black of his tuxedo. I quickly averted my eyes as I noticed him staring at me. We heard a car pull up, and I assumed it was the limousine.

"Everyone ready?" Alice asked excitedly. "Let's go!" She grabbed Jasper's hand and skipped out the door to the waiting limousine.


	22. Composed

**Bella's POV – Composed**

We entered the ballroom and were directed to a table. I looked around. It was gorgeous. There were breathtaking details and sculptures lining the gold walls of the ballroom. The dance floor was filled with finely dressed couples, twirling confidently. On our table were sets of the most exquisite china and silver I had ever seen. I listened to the music for a moment, and though I could not recognize the composer, I knew it was old. I couldn't believe such an event could occur in the time of trendy clubs and house parties. I sat silently, taking in my surroundings in awe.

"No thank you, we've already eaten." Carlisle said courteously to the waiter. _Lucky for you_, I thought sarcastically.

"Time to dance!" Alice announced enthusiastically. Before I could say anything, all the couples had left the table for the dance floor, leaving Edward and I alone. Horrified at the current predicament I was in, I busied myself examining the pattern of the fine china in front of me.

"Bella? Would you like to dance?" I knew he was just asking because we were the only two left. Still, I supposed it would be rude to decline the offer.

"Sure," I said politely. He held out his hand, and I hesitantly took it. I jumped when our skin touched, but he kept his face emotionless. It felt so surreal to have him touch me, but I couldn't let my guard down. We moved to the dance floor, where the others were moving elegantly to the rhythm. I knew they put everyone else's dancing to shame, simply because of their supernatural gracefulness. That, and the fact that they'd had over a century to practice. Edward led me to a spot on the floor, and spun me to face him.

"You look beautiful tonight," Edward said as we began to dance. I tried to suppress all my raging emotions so I could keep myself composed. This wasn't the time or place to lose control. Fortunately, I knew it wasn't real and he didn't mean it; he was only being polite.

First, we waltzed. Edward spun me around the room flawlessly and I felt satisfied that I was keeping up with him. It was like a fairytale; the lovely music was flowing through me, I felt pretty in my nice dress, and we were in an unbelievably gorgeous room. The only thing that was missing was my prince charming. I tried not to dwell on it, as I knew that it would only cause me pain. I definitely knew from experience that it was better to disregard such thoughts.

Then, the music changed to a tango. I was exceedingly aware of his body against mine. I carefully avoided Edward's eyes. His hands held me tighter and the passionate music made my imaginary heart thump loudly. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to trust his leading completely.

The song returned to a slower, more intimate melody. Edward pulled me even closer to him. I stopped breathing, grateful I had no need for oxygen.

Unexpectedly, I heard Edward say my name. It was so quiet, I wasn't even sure if I had really heard it. I pulled back and looked at his face. He was staring at me with an intensity that I could not fathom. Was I doing something wrong? He was the one that had asked me to dance. Did he want to stop? I knew I wasn't the best dancer, but I wasn't as bad as when I had been human. I'd thought that I was keeping up with him.

Confusion and fear flickered in my chest. I chewed on my lip and closed my eyes again. I wasn't sure what to do. I opened my eyes again and gasped as I saw Edward's face right in front of mine, still staring intently. His eyes were slightly glazed over. I tried to take a step back, but the next thing I knew his lips were crushing mine, and he had one hand around my waist and the other holding my wrist.

Every part of my body screamed that I couldn't allow myself to be vulnerable like this. Every part of my mind screamed that this was the most amazing thing I'd felt in twenty-five years. And every part of my heart screamed that it was going to get broken again because he wasn't doing this because he felt the same way that I did. In fact, I may very well have been screaming out loud. My hold body instantly went rigid and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to wash over me. I wanted to kiss him back but I also wanted to run away because I was defenseless and exposed like this. The electricity running through his hands on my body was intoxicating. Then his hand tightened around my waist I snapped back to reality. I had to get out of there. I tried to pull away but he was stronger. I panicked, and pulled my arm away from his hand as hard as I could. He instantly released me. I backed up in horror as I realized I must have angered him.

I didn't want to give him a chance to speak and confirm my worst fears. So I ran. I sprinted slightly faster than human speed out the door, down the stairs, and out the lobby. I heard a snap from under one of my feet and realized that one of my heels had broken. I cursed Alice for making me wear stilettos and ripped them off my feet so I could keep running. I ignored the waiting valet and dove into a cab. I quickly rattled off the address of the house and then leaned back against the seat so I could think.

Why did he kiss me? What was I going to do? How was I ever going to face him again? A million questions were running through my head as the cab pulled up to the house.

"I'm sorry, but I have to run inside to get your money." I dashed in the door and grabbed some money out of my room. When I came back outside, I saw that there were now two cabs.

_Oh my god_, I thought. Edward stepped out of the second cab and threw a couple of bills at the driver.

"Bella? Bella, we need to talk." He approached me, but I backed away from him.

"I have to pay for my cab," I said dumbly, and walked to the driver to ask him how much I owed him. I told him to keep the change, and he drove off.

"Bella?" Edward was waiting only a few feet away from me. I couldn't be alone with him, and the only thing that I could think of to do was run. So I took off for the forest.

"Bella, wait!" Edward called, and I tried to push myself to run as fast and hard as I could, but it was no use. Ten seconds later I felt his hand on my arm. I stopped and he stood in front of me.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to! I wasn't thinking and I lost control. Can you ever forgive me?"

I didn't know what to do. I felt the pain start to flood my body once more. I had to know one thing, though.

"Why did you do that?" I was able to whisper.

"Oh, Bella, it was an accident. I'm so sorry. You were just so close and I wanted it so much and I'm sorry, I know you don't feel that way. I never meant to put you in such an uncomfortable position."

I felt my jaw go slack. "What do you mean, you wanted it so much?"

"I—I'm sorry. I understand that you don't feel the same. It's totally understandable; you have every right to hate me." He mumbled while staring at the floor.

"Edward, _answer my question_." I hissed, surprising myself with the anger that twisted through my words. Edward looked positively horrified at my reaction.

"I wanted to kiss you and I didn't mean to do it, it just happened." He looked at my face, searching for a reaction.

"Why?" My voice was hoarse and rough.

"Bella, you know how I feel." His eyes were burning with intensity.

"I don't understand. Were you hoping to be _friends with benefits_? Edward, that's _cruel_." I could see pain flashing through his face, as he unsuccessfully tried to keep his face emotionless.

"What are you talking about?! I want so much more than that. Bella, I'm sorry I kissed you. I didn't intend to hurt you, I swear!" He tried to reach out to touch me, but I backed away from him. I still didn't understand what he was saying.

"You want _more _than that? Edward, _what the hell are you talking about?!_" I hissed through clenched teeth. Was he just trying to mess with me?

"Bella, I know you don't love me anymore, and that's my fault. I made that terrible decision to leave you twenty-five years ago, and I'm sorrier than you'll ever know. But I love you. I always have, and I always will. Nothing, not even time, can change that." I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs. Edward's expression was one of resignation and hopelessness.

I couldn't believe what he was doing. Was he trying to kill me? Why would he say that to me? I knew he had been raised better than to mess with someone like this. Perhaps years of loneliness and immortality had turned his heart cold, no pun intended. All of a sudden I felt myself getting angry. No, I was furious! How dare him! My hand made contact with the side of his face and caused a loud slapping sound. I could see the shock on his face.

"How _dare _you say that! What the hell is wrong with you? I know both your mother and Esme raised you better than that. When did you become so malicious that you started to mess with people just for fun? Have you no feelings at all? What happened to you?" I slapped him across the face again. It felt so good that I couldn't stop myself when I tackled him.

My fists were trying to make contact with every part of him that they could. I clawed at him, trying to inflict as much damage as I could. I didn't want to kill him; I just wanted to make him feel pain. If I killed him, he wouldn't feel the pain. I knew his family would probably kill me after this, but I didn't care. I wanted him to feel some of what I felt after he left me. Some of what I felt when I spent the last twenty-five years alone, even if it was just a fraction of my pain. He didn't fight me, but grabbed both of my wrists in his hands and waited for me to calm down. I was still screaming incoherently and sobbing. After I caused us to roll around for a few moments, I found that I was unable to match his strength. He pinned my arms above my head and leaned over me, waiting.

As soon as my cries quieted enough for him to speak, he said, "Bella, I love you. I love you and I would do anything for you. I know I made a big mistake before, but I only did it to protect you. I'm sorry. You have to understand that." I held my breath and stared into his clear topaz eyes, but he let go of me and stood. Then he walked away without looking back.

My mind was reeling. If I were still human, surely I would have passed out from the intensity of these emotions. He said he loved me. Was he lying? How could I tell? Why did he leave right after he told me he loved me? I didn't understand. He either lied now, or he was lying twenty-five years ago. How would I know which lie to believe? _He had said he didn't want me._ But he just said _he had always loved me_. I didn't know what to do. If I believed him now and he was lying, the pain would all come back, except much worse because it was fresher. I didn't think I could handle that. But if I believed him now, it might mean an end to the loneliness and isolation. It might mean that I could be with the man that I loved. How would I decide?


	23. Truth

**Edward's POV – Truth**

I just kissed her. I just told her that I loved her. _Why the hell did I do that?!_ She had already made it clear that she didn't feel the same way. And I _kissed_ her?! It was slightly ironic that I could resist the temptation of human blood, and even Bella's blood for that matter, but not _her_. She clearly had not wanted to be kissed. And not only did she make that clear before, but she made her wishes clear _during_. And I had ignored them. I was the complete opposite of a gentleman. I was no better than those lowly, dirty men that had almost done the same thing to her in Port Angeles. I quaked with anger at the thought.

And then she slapped me. God knows I deserved it, but I had never expected Bella to do that. I knew I would rather have Bella slap me again every second for the rest of eternity than be without her again. When she attacked me and started screaming at me, all I could think about was how her writhing body felt against mine. When she finally stopped I left because I wasn't sure how much more I could take. I knew if she kept staring at me with those bottomless black orbs, I would lose it. It was when I was heading further into the forest, just to get away, that I heard her whisper.

"I love you too, Edward." She wasn't used to anyone else having vampire hearing.

Every muscle in my body froze while I replayed her words over and over in my head. She loved me too? Before I could stop myself, I was in front of Bella again, who had not moved from the spot where we had just spoken. I heard her sharp intake of breath in surprise. She tensed her body and crouched in a defensive position.

"What did you say?" Hope was coursing through my body as I tried not to let it show on my face.

She looked like a deer in headlights. She was clearly terrified and it seemed that she was deciding what to say. I willed her to say what I thought I'd just heard. I tried not to focus on the additional patches of skin that her dress exposed since it was torn when she attacked me. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to speak.

"I love you." She whispered hesitantly. Half a second later my mouth attacked hers, trying to taste as much of her as I could. I placed my hand on the side of her neck and the other around her waist. She went stiff in my arms again, and I felt dread slowly seep into my body. _She didn't want this after all._ Again, why had I done that? Did she mean she loved me as a friend? I didn't understand. She recoiled and backed up a few feet away. Her face was twisted in pain.

"I—I'm sorry. I thought you meant—" I started, trying to explain my actions in the hopes that we could still be friends. I would take whatever Bella gave me. I was a monster for hurting her again. Why couldn't I control myself?

"You don't love me. You haven't wanted me for all this time. You just feel sorry for me. It hurts too much Edward; I can't go through that again. I won't survive it this time." Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as if she was physically ill.

"Bella, no! Of course I love you! Please, trust me. I love you more than anything." I pleaded with her. The pain was almost unbearable.

"But you might be lying. I can't take that chance." I could see that I was losing her, so I placed my hand on her arm. She cringed away from it. "Edward, you don't understand. I've spent the last two-and-a-half decades _completely alone _because you told me you loved me, and I trusted you. Then you left. How do I know you're not going to do that again? I can't go through that again, I just can't." Sobs started to escape from her throat.

"Bella, I'm not lying. And I'm not going to do that again because _I _wouldn't survive alone again. I left the first time because I thought I was endangering you. Now I know that that was a mistake. I won't make the same mistake twice, Bella, I promise you that." Her tiny body was shaking while she cried. I didn't know how to make her understand. If she took me back, there would be absolutely _no chance _that I would leave her again.

"It's okay if I'm too late, Bella. Don't try to spare my feelings. Just know that I'll spend every day for the rest of eternity trying to make this up to you and prove that I do love you and I won't leave you again." My voice shook on the last word. I turned to leave and saw her crumple on the ground, and it took all my willpower to not run to her and hold her in my arms. Alice. I needed Alice. She would be able to get Bella to understand that I wouldn't leave again. I began to run back to the house so I could call Alice, but she beat me to it. I found her stepping out of the third cab to grace our driveway that night.

"Don't worry, little brother, I got your back." She winked as she headed towards Bella.


	24. Chances

**Bella's POV – Chances**

"Bella, honey? Are you alright?" Alice was sitting next to where I had collapsed on the ground.

"I just attacked your brother." I said in a hoarse voice.

"I know. I figured as much, judging from the remains of your dress. She said with a bemused expression. I looked down, confused. My dress was in tatters, hardly any of my body covered anymore. I was grateful that I couldn't blush anymore. Then I was horrified as I realized what Edward had seen. At least I'd convinced her to let me wear underwear. I pushed these thoughts out of my mind as I continued to sort out the recent events.

"You don't care?"

"Oh, Edward definitely deserved that. I just wish you had done more damage."

I stared at her for a moment before I decided that she was actually being serious.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I slapped Edward. I'm sorry I ruined your birthday party. And I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

"Oh, Bella, Edward deserved that, trust me. And you certainly did not ruin my birthday party. Anyway, I've had plenty of them. They get boring after a while. In fact, the only reason we went out this year was because I saw what Edward would do, and I figured you guys would never talk otherwise. And Bella, we want you here. I've missed you so much. You were my best friend. You _are _my best friend. And I wouldn't have it any other way." I stared at her for a minute before deciding that she was being sincere.

"By the way, I loved your present! I'm so excited!" She grinned and I realized she'd seen what I decided to give her as soon as I had decided it myself. Well, at least she liked it. But a whole day shopping with Alice, without complaining, was going to be tough.

"I don't know what to do, Alice."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," I said.

"Then what is there to decide?"

"But Alice, what about him?"

"Well, you just heard him. How many times did he say he loved you? Three? Four?"

"Yes, but how do I know if he is telling the truth?"

"Bella, trust me, he's telling the truth. Besides, I've seen the way he looks at you. He will never get over you. For the last twenty-five years he brought a whole new meaning to the term 'walking corpse'. I haven't seen him express any emotion for at least two decades, after he finally stopped roaming the earth uselessly. If it weren't for Esme, I don't think he would have made it." I simply stared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Edward. After we left Forks, we spent years trying to get him to come home to us. Once he even went to Volterra, but I was always one step ahead of him." She tapped her temple and smiled, but I could see the pain and sadness in her eyes. "Finally we got him to promise Esme he would stay. But it didn't matter; we'd already lost him. Until a few months ago, that is." She smiled sadly.

"What happened a few months ago?" I asked, confused.

"We found you."

"Oh. But Alice, I can't take that chance that he's lying. I just can't. I can't handle it." I shook my head, dismissing the thoughts that arrived with that idea.

"Bella, I promise you he loves you. Just follow your heart. If you love him, then give him the chance to prove it to you." She stood to leave.

"Alice?" I stood up and she turned around.

"Yeah?" I walked towards her very slowly and tentatively put an arm around her. She inhaled sharply in surprise. I stood there for a moment and she slowly put one of her arms around me. I instinctively tensed to defend myself, but forced myself to relax. I laid my head against her should and slid my other arm around her. She did the same after a few seconds. For a moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to scream and run. Then I felt feelings of safety and contentment. It felt wonderful. I hadn't hugged someone in a long time. I started to softly cry. Alice pulled away.

"No, it's okay. It felt good after I was able to relax." Alice smiled widely and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Again, once I relaxed, it felt nice. I sighed.

"So, are you going to go talk to him?" She asked hopefully.

"In a little while. I need to collect my thoughts." I wanted to think about how I would do this first.

"Okay, that sounds good." Her eyes got a funny look and she appeared to suppress a giggle. "Um, why don't you guys go take a walk when you do talk? That way," she snickered, "no one can interrupt you." She winked at me and ran off, leaving me to my thoughts.


	25. Happy Ending

**Bella's POV – Happy Ending**

I'd never felt so nervous. I also didn't know that a vampire could get 'butterflies' in their stomach. It was an odd sensation.

I had returned to my room and deliberated for the better part of an hour, considering the situation. Finally, I decided to follow Alice's advice. I would give him the chance to prove it to me. I felt my whole body warning me not to do this because it would hurt too much if it ended badly, but I ignored it. I went to Edward's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." He said. I suddenly felt that I was not ready after all. I fought against my instincts to run in the opposite direction. I closed my eyes and opened the door.

He was laying back on the sofa, listening to music. I stood awkwardly at the doorway and he stood to greet me.

"Hi, Bella," he said emotionlessly. "Would you like to come in?"

I remembered what Alice had said earlier. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to take a walk with me."

"Certainly. Lead the way." He reached over to shut off his music and followed me out the door. I led us towards a part of the woods that I remembered was particularly scenic and beautiful.

"I'm sorry I slapped you." I said quietly.

"It's quite alright, Bella. I more than deserved it. I'm sure Alice and the others agree," Edward said good-naturedly.

We walked for a few more minutes in comfortable silence. I gathered my courage and started to speak before I could lose my nerve.

"Edward, I want to be honest with you."

"I would like that too, Bella." He smiled, though I thought I saw sadness flicker in his eyes.

"You said you loved me." I stated.

"Yes, I did."

"Is that true?"

"Yes, of course." His eyes flew to my face, and I heard his voice fill with emotion.

"Then why did you leave me before? Why did you tell me that you didn't want me?" Edward's face grew darker as he pondered my question.

"I left because I wanted you to have a normal human life. After what happened at your birthday party, I felt that it was too dangerous for us to be around you. I only wanted you to be happy, even if it meant I couldn't be with you. I thought that since you were human, you would eventually forget and move on. I left _because _I loved you. And I lied so you would move on. I'm so sorry, Bella. I will never lie to you again." I noticed his eyes were glued to my face. I searched his face for any evidence that he was not telling the truth. I found none.

"I—I don't understand. How could you do that to me?" I felt anger raging through me and I couldn't control it anymore. I wasn't able to control the volume of my voice.

"I LOVED YOU! AND YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME TOO! YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT IF YOU LOVED ME!" I lifted my hands and shoved him backwards. He looked surprised.

"YOU MADE THEM ALL LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE! I LOVED THEM! THEY WERE MY FAMILY TOO! AND ALICE WAS MY BEST FRIEND!" I balled up my fists and started throwing punches on him wherever I could manage.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY NIGHTS I'VE SPENT ALONE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID?" He backed away slowly and held up his hands to protect his face from my raging fists, but did not fight back.

"NINE-THOUSAND-ONE-HUNDRED-AND-SIX!" I practically threw him at a tree, which consequently split in half.

"I HAD NO ONE! ABSOLUTELY NO ONE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME? WHY DIDN'T YOU WANT ME? WHY—" I couldn't continue because I had collapsed into a sobbing heap. My fists were now raining punches down on the ground, which was starting to crack under the force.

I sensed Edward approaching me but I didn't move. I just let the sobs overtake my body.

A moment later I felt his hand on my back. I hoped he would kill me. His hand began to rub soothing circles on my back. After the initial shock, I was surprised to find that it felt good. I laid down the rest of the way and rested my head on my arms. I focused on the sensation of his fingers on my body and tried to steady my breathing, though it was unnecessary. I wasn't sure how long I stayed that way, but he never stopped. I didn't want to move, as I hadn't had someone touch me like that in a long time, but I knew I had to say some things. I slowly sat up and turned to face him.

"I love you, too." His face brightened and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. "But I'm afraid. I'm afraid that this will end badly. I'm afraid that you won't want me. I'm afraid that I won't get to be with you. I'm afraid Victoria is going to find me. I'm afraid Victoria is going to kill me. But even worse, I'm afraid Victoria is going to kill _you_." I took a breath to steady myself. I couldn't lose control again.

"Bella, you don't ever have to be afraid again. I will take care of you, I promise. Even if you don't want to be with me." The offer was so tempting. I wanted to let him take care of me. I wanted to feel safe. I wanted to have a happy ending.

"Edward, if this doesn't work out, I won't survive it. Do you understand that?" I tried to keep my voice from breaking, but failed.

"Neither would I, Bella. Neither would I." He stared at me with his beautiful topaz eyes that seemed to be winning me over.

Then, before I could say anything else, Edward's head whipped around and I heard faint screams coming from behind me.


	26. Price

**Bella's POV – Price**

"No," Edward growled. The anger and hatred in his voice made me shudder. Who was screaming? What was wrong? Snarls erupted from his throat. Panic exploded in my mind. I'd let my guard down, and now I was paying the price.

"Bella, no, it's alright. It's only Alice." His velvet voice soothed me.

"What's wrong?" He didn't answer me because his brow was furrowed in concentration. Alice emerged from the trees to my left. Fear was apparent on her face as she and Edward had a silent conversation. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed at lightening speed.

"Carlisle, you need to come home now. It's an emergency." Then he snapped the phone shut again and turned back to Alice.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer me, and Alice seemed to be telling him more with her thoughts.

"What is it, Alice? What did you see? It's her, isn't it?! Will someone just tell me what's going on?!" I heard cries escaping my throat.

They didn't say anything.

"It's her, isn't it." It wasn't a question. "Edward, what is going on? Tell me, damnit!" I screamed at him, trying to escape from behind his crouching figure. "EDWARD!" I couldn't understand why he was acting this way.

"It's okay, Bella. She won't touch you. I _will _kill her, and I _will_ make you safe." Edward took a step nearer to me. I held my breath and concentrated on keeping my knees from shaking.

"Did Alice have a vision?"

"Yes. But we're going to fight, Bella. The others are on their way now.

"The others?"

"Yes, the whole family. Carlisle is on his way from the hospital right now." He glanced at Alice. "He'll make it," he added.

"Why?" I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Bella, what do you mean, why? We're going to fight Victoria. She only has a few others with her, and if we all stay to fight, we'll win." Why were they going to stay? Didn't think know that she was going to _kill _them?

"But she's going to kill you," I whispered.

"Bella, I'm insulted! You really think she could get by me?" Emmett appeared at my side, and the rest of the family followed him. His chest was puffed up as if to make his point. I looked up at his face. He didn't look scared. He only looked angry.

"But why don't you leave? It's _me _she's after, not you." Why didn't they understand?

"Bella, honey, we would never leave you to fight her by yourself. To us, you're part of the family. We want to help you." Esme approached me now, her motherly voice calming me slightly.

I didn't know what to do but stare at them. Some of their expressions were a little nervous, but none of them looked scared. And none of them looked like they didn't want to be here. I didn't know how this was supposed to make me feel. No emotions other than fear of my impending death could surface.

"Bella, you don't need to be scared. She doesn't stand a chance against us." Now Jasper spoke.

Carlisle arrived and called Jasper, Edward, and Emmett over. I figured they were talking strategy. Then Alice went over and said something to Emmett. He disappeared immediately.

I focused on Edward's face, memorizing every flawless detail so I could look at it in my mind before I died.

"Who wants TAKE-OUT?" Emmett called excitedly as he arrived to where we were gathered about twenty minutes after he left. I turned to look at him. Take-out? That was human food…

Oh. He had a deer under each arm, struggling uselessly against his iron grasp. Jasper followed behind him with two more.

"We'll need every bit of strength to fight," Jasper explained. That made sense, I thought.

"Bella, as my favorite new little sister, I've decided you may have first pick." Emmett nodded his head at the four deer they'd collected. I opened my mouth to answer him, but Alice materialized at my side.

"Bella, I know you don't like to hunt with us because you feel vulnerable, but you can trust us." She spoke quietly and quickly in my ear. I nodded and pointed to a random deer.

"Excellent choice, Bella." Emmett beamed at me and shuffled over so I could take the deer from his arms. I carried it over to some trees, and after taking a nervous look around the forest, snapped its neck and drank.

When I returned to the others, Alice came over to me and reached out with her hand, slipping it into mine. I didn't feel scared. It didn't hurt. It was comforting.

I looked at her face and she was smiling at me.

"Bella, do you trust me?"

"Yes," I said. And I knew it was true. I did trust her.

"Then believe me when I say it's going to be okay. You will be fine."

"But what about your family?" Didn't they know that they could die?

"Everyone will be fine. I promise." She squeezed my hand gently. We stayed like that for several minutes, until Alice let go of my hand and called the others over.

It was time.


	27. The Fight

**Bella's POV – The Fight**

"Well, well, well… Isn't this a lovely gathering?"

Victoria paced smugly back and forth on the other side of the clearing. She looked just as dangerous and feline as I remembered, but her high voice didn't seem to match her body. I felt my body take on a whole new level of fear.

Behind her, seven other vampires were clearly awaiting her instructions. One was a young brown-haired boy, who looked to be about 15 or 16 years old. Then there was an older man next to him, who I figured to be about 30 or 40 years old. Finally, a young woman stood to the side of Victoria. I knew right away that she was the newborn. Her eyes were bright red and I could see the extra strength coursing through her body. The rest of the vampires looked to be the same age as Victoria, and I saw two blonde women and a black-haired guy and girl.

"I trust you got my messages? I have to say, it was quite entertaining to play hide and seek with you, Bella. But now I'm done with games." She locked eyes with me and I had to force myself not to scream.

"You know, before my heart wasn't really in it. I didn't feel the satisfaction that I should have when I hunted you. I knew you weren't with Edward, so I didn't really see a point. I just checked on you every few years, biding my time. Then, out of the blue, I find you back here with the Cullen's! Imagine my surprise at seeing you and little Edward here back together again after so many years. Now, I feel that I can finally avenge James' death properly." She smiled cruelly and turned to the vampires behind her.

"I suppose I have Laurent to thank for that. You would be living your own human life right now if it weren't for him. At first I was angry, but now I'm pleased at the outcome. Even though I had to wait a while, it is going to be so much more satisfying to kill you now." She smiled evilly and I heard Edward growl next to me. I felt chills run through my body. I couldn't scream or cry; I just felt numb. Edward shifted his body in front of mine.

"Oh, and make sure you kill Edward last. I want to hear his scream when I kill Bella." I heard five snarls come from the vampires next to me. I looked at Edward and the anger in his eyes was deadly.

Victoria stopped pacing. With one last wicked grin, she lunged at me. I saw Edward meet her in mid air. I was vaguely aware of the Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle going after the other vampires behind Victoria, but I couldn't tear my eyes from Edward's body. I heard him tear her arm off. Her scream pierced my ears.

Somehow I saw her teeth go for Edward's neck, and I couldn't stop myself. I launched myself at Edward and knocked him out of the way. Victoria missed me by millimeters, but the brown-haired boy did not. I felt sharp pain in my left shoulder as I heard him making contact with my body. I twisted my body and got my hands around his neck, holding him back. His strength was slowly overpowering me, and I could see his teeth inching closer to my neck. I nearly gave up and let him kill me when I felt his weight being lifted from my body. Rosalie hurled him at a tree, and urgently scanned my body.

"Are you okay?" She called out quickly.

"Yes," I managed to squeak out before I stood again. She ran after the boy and swiftly dodged his attacks until she got close enough to decapitate him. I turned my attention back to Edward. He was piling Victoria's remains in a fire. After I realized that Edward was safe, and the others had defeated their attackers as well, I finally noticed the searing pain in my shoulder. I gasped from the intensity.

"Bella? Bella, what is it? Are you hurt?" Edward was next to me instantly.

"I don't know! Can I get hurt?" I wasn't sure what was happening. My shoulder definitely stung, but I knew I couldn't be bleeding or anything. "Edward, it stings!" I frantically tried to claw at my shoulder, but I couldn't see the burning area. He ripped back my dress and examined it.

"He bit you. That bastard bit you." I heard the rage shake his voice.

"What does that mean?" I asked, panic threatening my composure. I rubbed furiously at my shoulder.

"It's just the venom. It won't do anything but leave a scar. It's going to sting for a while though." His lips were pressed into a thin line.

"Okay. I'll be fine. Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Is everyone else okay? What about the newborn?" I was beyond ecstatic that he was alive, but I would never forgive myself if anyone else had gotten hurt.

"Yes, they're all fine. Jasper barely even had a challenge fighting that newborn. I think he was actually rather disappointed with the battle." He was searching my eyes for something.

"So that's it? She's gone? Victoria is dead?" I hadn't yet realized what this meant.

"Yes. She's dead. It's over, and no one will ever hurt you again." He said slowly. I blew out a big breath. _She's dead_, I told myself. _You're safe now. She isn't coming back. No more running, no more hiding, no more fear._

"Wow." I said quietly, and promptly crumpled on the ground.

"Bella?! Bella! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Bella, what's wrong?!" Edward's panicked voice reached my ears through my dry sobs.

"I'm fine. It's just that… I can't believe it's finally over. I don't have to run anymore. I don't have to be afraid." I took a big unnecessary breath. "That's all I've ever known." I finally whispered.

"I know, sweetheart. It's all over now. You're safe." Edward rubbed my shoulder. I didn't fail to notice that he called me _sweetheart_.

The others approached us. I saw Rosalie and impulsively ran to her and threw my arms around her neck.

"Thank you, Rosalie. You saved my life." I stepped back and smiled at her.

"Of course, Bella. You're welcome." After the shock wore off her face, she returned my warm smile.

"Thank you, everyone. You shouldn't have had to risk your lives like this. But thank you, I'll never forget what you've done for me." I heard sounds coming from the woods behind us. Horror ripped through my body as I thought we hadn't gotten all of them, or that she had backup.

"Shit, Bella! Don't scare me like that! It's just Esme. Man, I think you just gave me a heart attack." Jasper was clutching Alice's shoulder, doubled over and holding his chest. Everyone snickered at his lame joke.

"What happened?! Is everyone okay? One of them tried to run off, so I went after him." Esme came bursting through the trees. I relaxed when I realized I had overreacted.

Edward pulled me close to him.

"We're all fine. We killed Victoria, and the others." Edward nodded towards the pile of burning vampire flesh. "Unfortunately, Bella was bitten when she irresponsibly threw herself in the battle, but it should be fine in a few hours." He looked at me pointedly but rubbed my shoulder soothingly. The stinging of the venom was drowned out by the happiness I felt when I looked into his eyes. Edward put his mouth next to my ear and whispered, "Don't you ever risk your life for me again, Isabella Marie Swan." I ignored him because I couldn't think clearly while inhaling his scent.

"Oh, thank God!" Esme ran to every single one of her children and hugged them enthusiastically. She finally approached me and looked at me with questioning eyes. I nodded, and returned the affectionate hug that she gave me. Then she returned to Carlisle's side.

"Let's go home," Carlisle said. Everyone began to leave the clearing. I went to follow them, but Edward tugged on my hand.

"Wait," he said.

"What's wrong?" I was nervous.

"Nothing's wrong."

I waited for him to say something.

"We just never got to finish our conversation from earlier."

"Oh," I said. Why couldn't I be more eloquent? Why couldn't I say something that would make this less awkward? His face fell ever so slightly. In fact, I wasn't even sure that it had.

"I just need to know, once and for all, where we stand. I need to know if I'm too late, and if the damage can never be undone." I could tell he was holding his breath.

"I love you." I took a step closer to him.

"I love you, too." His eyes twinkled.

I waited.

"Bella?" He was confused.

"Aren't you going to kiss me now?" Now _I _was confused. I thought he wanted this. Oh, _no_. Had he changed his mind? Rejection washed over me, and I knew much worse would follow. I'd told him I couldn't survive this again.

"Do… do you want this?" His voice was wary.

"I—I'm sorry. I thought you wanted this too." I looked at the ground.

"I do." His reply made me hopeful, but I was still confused. "But Bella, are you sure you want this? Are you sure that you can forgive me for all that I've done?"

"Yes, I want this," I assured him. A smile spread across his face.

I stared up at his god-like face and never felt one bit of the pain that I usually did when someone got close to me. I realized that he made me feel safe.

And then his lips touched mine and I couldn't control myself. I knew we were both frozen, but that didn't stop the heat that was somehow generating from our lips. I took a step closer to his body. He ever so gently put one of his hands on my waist. It startled me, but there was no pain. His lips started to move against mine. After a few seconds I responded, meeting his movements with my own. He took my bottom lip between his lips and gently sucked on it. It was the most amazing thing I had ever felt.

I finally pulled away before we could get carried away. I still needed to be cautious.

"Are you alright?" He asked me with concern in his voice.

I nodded and smiled.

"Bella, I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry. For everything." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Me too. And I'm really sorry I attacked you again…" I apologized, feeling awful that I had lost control _again_.

"Bella, don't you ever apologize to me for anything. After all that I've done to you, you deserve to do anything you want to me."

"Thank you for what you and your family did for me today. I will forever be in debt to you for that." Suddenly I saw pain in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I said urgently.

"Bella," he spoke in a strangled voice, "are you doing this because you feel that you owe me for fighting Victoria?"

I looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you staying with me because you feel that you owe me for protecting you today? Or because you feel guilty?" His eyes were closed tightly.

After a moment I finally understood what he was saying.

"No, Edward! I mean, I will owe you forever and I do feel guilty that you had to risk your life for me, but I want to be with you because I love you. Because I always have loved you and I always will." He opened his eyes again and looked relieved.

"Good. I never want you to do _anything _that you don't want to. You don't owe me anything. I did it because I love you, even if you don't love me."

I took his hand and we stayed as we were for a moment.

"Are you ready to go home?" He finally broke the silence.

"Home sounds good," I said. We smiled at each other and I knew I had never been happier.


	28. Wardrobe Malfunctions

**Bella's POV – Wardrobe Malfunctions**

When we got back to the house we tried to slip in through the back door. Unfortunately, someone heard us. The whole family was suddenly in front of us. I jumped behind Edward, startled by the sudden appearance of six vampires. Emmett's booming guffaws broke the silence.

"What—the—hell—happened—to you?!" He managed to get out between fits of laughter. I noticed that the other members of the family were not doing any better at controlling themselves. Even Carlisle seemed to be holding back a laugh. I couldn't figure out what was so funny.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your clothes, Bella! They were like this _before_ the fight. Did you two go streaking through a pit of lions or something?" I looked down and realized that most of my clothes were in rags, and I was still wearing my dress from the night before. Things were exposed that shouldn't be. Edward's clothing was in worse condition, but his at least covered all the essentials. I realized that we must have ripped them when I attack Edward. I squeaked and tried to hide myself behind Edward even more. This made Emmett laugh harder.

"Er, Bella and I… Well, she just—"

"BELLA BEAT UP EDWARD!" Alice interrupted Edward's pathetic explanation. Everyone shrieked with laughter and I saw Esme gasp. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. This could not get any worse.

"Alice, I did not beat Edward up! I just… we got into an argument."

"Bella, that was one hell of an argument. What happens when you two have a fight? Do you go nuclear?" Hole in the ground, party of one?

"Okay, enough teasing Bella! She's not going to want to stay here anymore if you keep this up!" Edward intervened, for which I was grateful. "And even though it's none of your business, Bella was a little angry when I explained to her my foolish mistakes, which is perfectly understandable and expected. Does anyone have a problem with that? Right. I thought you'd all agree. And thank you, Alice and Rosalie, for those _creative_ ideas, but I'd appreciate it if you kept your opinions to yourselves." Everyone fell silent and I saw Alice and Rosalie were both smirking. "Now if you'll excuse us, we'd like to go clean up." I scurried behind Edward up the stairs and dashed to my room.

"What were Alice and Rosalie thinking?" Edward chuckled.

"Alice and Rosalie, as well as dear Esme, thought that you let me off too easy. Actually, even Jasper and Emmett were surprised. They offered to give you some more ideas to get back at me for leaving you. They suggested everything from switching all my CD's to rap albums, throwing me from a cliff, letting Emmett have a go at me, and refusing to have sex for a year." He looked amused, but I was mortified.

"What was Carlisle thinking?" Again, he laughed. This time, however, he looked a little embarrassed too.

"Well, Carlisle thought that I probably enjoyed it." Oh. Did he?

"Did you?"

"Yes," he admitted sheepishly.

"Did I hurt you at _all_?" I was a little ticked off that I couldn't even attack someone properly.

"Well, yes, but I was still ecstatic to be near you and talking to you, even if you were trying to beat me up. I've missed you." He looked into my eyes.

"AWW, I'VE MISSED YOU TOO, BELLA!" Emmett's voice came from right outside the door.

"Excuse me for one moment, please," Edward said politely as he darted out of the room. I heard a few crashes and some cussing.

I flopped on my bed and groaned. I wasn't used to anyone else being able to hear my conversations. I was only used to _me _having heightened hearing. The whole family probably heard.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Edward returned and sat on the edge of my bed and gently touched my back. I gasped and he instantly removed his hand.

"Don't stop." I murmured. I felt him put his hand back, and I sighed contentedly. His comforting touch felt incredible.

"Bella?"

"That feels amazing." I felt his hand start to move up and down my back.

"I thought… I thought you didn't like to be touched?" He sounded genuinely confused.

"Well, I think I'm adjusting. I trust that you won't hurt me. And now that I trust you, it feels really good. No one's touched me like this since…" I decided not to finish the sentence and felt his hand trail higher as he started massaging my neck and shoulders.

"So this is okay?" He said after a few seconds.

"Yes," I breathed. It felt so good to have someone touch me, to have contact. It made me feel so calm. I felt him add his other hand.

"What about this?" Both of his hands were now working their way up and down my back.

"Yeah." I couldn't stop my sudden intake of breath when his hands moved to my sides, lightly running up and down them, sending jolts of electricity through my body. I wasn't able to control myself when I turned to face him and stared into his topaz eyes.

"I'm sorry, was that too much?" He looked anxious.

"No, quite the opposite actually." He smiled, amused, and then resumed our kiss from earlier. This time I allowed myself to give in to the feelings that my body was giving me. I opened my mouth to try and taste as much of him as I could. He gently slid his tongue along my bottom lip, asking for entrance. And as cliché and literally impossible as it sounds, I had never felt so alive. I felt Edward moan softly in my mouth as he pulled me closer to him. I, of course, had no objections to this. I ran one hand through his messy bronze hair, savoring the texture. He had one hand on the small of my back, pressing our bodies together. I wanted more; I wanted all of him.

He moved his lips from mine and began trailing them down the side of my jaw and onto my neck. I gasped at the pleasure his small kisses brought me. He brushed his lips gently along my collarbone, and then kissed every part of my neck he could find. I felt his hands all over my body, holding me close. They slid up and down my arms, on my shoulders, behind my neck, down my back, down to my…

"Edward!" I abruptly pulled away.

"Yes?" He feigned an innocent expression.

"Your whole family is downstairs!" I was horrified at what they must think of me.

"So?" He grinned at me mischievously. "None of them care. They do it all the time."

I could do nothing but stare at him with my jaw hanging.

"You're so beautiful when you're embarrassed." He leaned in close so he could place more kisses lightly along my jaw and down my neck. I had to fight hard to concentrate. "And how do you expect me to resist you when you look like this?" He gestured to my hair, makeup, and dress, which was really no longer a dress. It was shreds of what had once been a dress, and covered almost none of my body. I automatically covered myself as well as I could.

"Bella, don't do that. You're so beautiful… Perhaps you should wear this all the time." He grinned at me, hunger in his eyes. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe I should go change." I started to get up, but Edward pushed me back onto the bed.

"No! I can control myself, I promise." His face transformed into a very persuasive pout. I sighed and leaned into him, inhaling his scent.

"Better?" He gazed into my eyes. I nodded and swallowed convulsively.

"I was wondering if we could just lie down." I leaned back on the bed

"Anything you want, Bella." His eyes were full of emotions.

We relaxed next to each other and I rested my on his shoulder. I reached down and intertwined his fingers with mine, then sighed contentedly.

"I feel safe." I told Edward after an immeasurable amount of time had passed.

"Good. I always want you to feel safe." He carefully kissed the top of my head. I decided that I wanted his arms around me and I shifted slightly so I was facing him and let go of his hand. I reached for his other arm and wrapped it around my waist, then snuggled my head closer to him, breathing in his scent again. I felt strange. Then I realized that this foreign warm, fuzzy feeling meant that I was _happy_. It was an intoxicating feeling.

"I love you." I said, tilting my head to look into his beautiful topaz eyes.

"Not as much as I love you, Isabella." His eyes were so warm and inviting that I lifted my head from his shoulder and leaned forward so I could kiss his lips. I felt every nerve in my body tingle as I felt his body next to mine while we kissed again.

Then there was a knock on the door that brought me to my senses and I scooted several inches away from him, still breathless.

"Ahem, I hate to break this up, but we have to be at school in twenty minutes." Alice stuck her head inside the door.

_Damn_. I forgot about school. I didn't want to move from where I was, let alone spend the next eight hours in purgatory.

"Do we have to?" I looked at Edward.

"_Achoo_. Actually, I think I might be sick. How are you feeling?" Edward asked with wide, innocent eyes.

I faked a cough. "Uh oh. I think I have the same thing. Well, we shouldn't risk infecting any other students. Perhaps we should stay home today." We grinned at each other.

"Oh, are we all skipping today? Wonderful!" Alice returned to the doorway with excitement bubbling out her ears.

Edward chuckled. "Well, I guess that decides it." I looked at him and he gave me my favorite crooked smile which made me melt from the inside out.

"Bella?" Edward looked worried.

"Still works," I muttered.

"What?" Now he just looked confused.

"You can still _dazzle_ me, even when I'm a vampire." Apparently this amused Edward, because he grinned and didn't stop staring at me.

"Really?" He had a smirk on his face now.

"Oh, guess what we're doing today?" Alice barged through the door completely this time.

"What?" I said suspiciously.

"We're going to the BEACH!"


	29. Sunshine

**Bella's POV**

Edward, what if someone sees us? We're going to sparkle!" I didn't think that this was such a good idea.

"It's a private beach. Actually, we own it. No one else will be there." Alice had packed our bags and we all headed to the garage.

"Alice, can I take my car?" Rosalie looked at Alice, who pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Sure, I don't see any problems. Just don't change your plans." Her laugh tinkled musically. Rosalie grinned and hopped into her convertible. Edward took my hand and led me towards his car.

"No way, Edward! It's girl time! You've been hogging Bella!" Alice pouted and Edward narrowed his eyes at her. They seemed to be having another silent argument.

"Fine," he grumbled. He kissed me on my cheek and opened the door to Rosalie's car for me. I slid in hesitantly. Did Rosalie really want me in her car? Alice hopped gracefully in the back.

"Nice!" Rosalie grinned and held out her hand to high-five Alice. Then Alice pulled a CD out of her bag and told me to put it in.

_I come home in the morning light  
My mother says when you gonna live your life right  
Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones  
And girls they want to have fun  
Oh girls just want to have fun_

"Is… is this from the _80's_?" I was shocked. Rosalie turned up the music and I felt the bass thump underneath my seat. She and Alice began to sing along to the words at the top of their lungs.

Actually, they seemed to be having a ton of fun. I tentatively began to sing along with them, and it was exhilarating. I hadn't let go and had fun in… well, ever. Maybe when I was a kid, but nothing like this.

"Having fun?" Alice leaned forward into the front seat and smiled at me.

"Yeah, I am," I said sincerely.

"Good." Her eyes were sparkling, much like the rest of her body under the bright sun. In fact, all three of us were glittering brilliantly under the sunlight as we sped down the deserted road.

After and hour or two, Rosalie turned onto a long gravel drive. We all got out of the car and gathered out things from the trunk. I briefly wondered where the boys were, but Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a small building. Inside was a bathroom and she handed me a small plastic bag and pushed me in.

I opened the bag and saw that it was a bathing suit. Well, less like a bathing suit and more like a piece of string. I poked my head out the door.

"Alice!"

"Bella, don't be difficult. Just wear it. You know I'll win," she smiled innocently. I let a few profanities slip out under my breath and closed the door again. I quickly undressed and put on the suit. It was blue, and had a vertical hook in the middle to pull it together. **(A/N – Picture in my profile!) ** I was very nervous about the lack of coverage it provided. I stuck my head outside again.

"Alice, there is no way I'm coming out like this." She huffed and walked over to hand me another thin piece of cloth. I grabbed it from her and shut the door again. It was a white cover-up. **(A/N – Picture in my profile!)**

I pulled it on over my head and inspected my body again. It was a little better. It came down to a few inches above my knees and covered most of my shoulders. Unfortunately, it did nothing much to cover my chest.

I finally decided to leave the shelter of the bathroom and stepped out into the warm sun. I saw Edward, Jasper, and Emmett emerging from their car. I felt a smile spread over my face as I saw Edward. I couldn't believe how much I'd missed him in only a few hours. We ran to each other and I breathed in his scent.

"I missed you." His lips were next to my ear.

"I missed you more," I said playfully. He chuckled.

"Impossible," he stated. I just rolled my eyes and walked away. I wanted to see what Alice had planned for us to do.

And that's when I realized, never underestimate Alice.

She'd set up a volleyball net, Frisbees, inflatable tubes, boogie boards, beach chairs, sand toys, and towels.

"Wow," I said in awe.

"It's okay, no need to tell me I'm awesome," Alice said nonchalantly as she waved her hand and strolled towards the ocean. She was wearing a bright yellow bathing suit that had the sides cut out and connected the top to the bottom. Rosalie, who followed her, was wearing a black bathing suit which would have looked trashy on any other girl, but of course with her beauty she looked flawlessly elegant. Suddenly I felt terribly self-conscious. There was no way I could compare with their bodies! **(A/N – Again, pictures are in my profile!)**

"Bella, sweetheart, what's the matter?" Edward was at my side, holding my hand.

"Nothing," I replied. He looked into my eyes for a moment.

"That's a lie."

"What?"

"That's a lie. You're not fine."

I stuttered at him.

"Jasper was feeling waves of discomfort and self-consciousness." He stroked my cheek affectionately.

"Oh." I couldn't say anything else. I was too embarrassed.

"There's no need to feel self-conscious, love. You're the most beautiful woman in the world."

I rolled my eyes.

"Bella, why can't you ever see yourself clearly?" He kissed my jaw and rubbed my back, then whispered in my ear. "If I could, I would take you right here, right now. You have no idea how attractive you are."

_Oh my god. What did he just say?_

"Edward, man, what did you just do to Bella? She's positively mortified!" Jasper called out to Edward as he came out of the bathroom. I had never been more grateful that I couldn't blush.

Edward just laughed. "Are you ready to goplay volleyball? Alice is waiting." I nodded.

We played beach volleyball for a while until Emmett accidentally broke the net when he dove for the ball.

Alice announced that we were going swimming. I pulled off my white dress and turned back to the water. Edward was staring at me and his eyes were glazed over. Jasper walked over and kicked him. He shook his head and blinked his eyes. Jasper just laughed and walked away.

"Edward, are you okay?" What was the matter with him?

"Yes, yes, of course." He smiled and darted to my side. "You're so beautiful."

He leaned in and I met him halfway. The kiss was passionate and lusty, and I thought I might burst from the feelings I was having.

"Hey you two, get over here! You can go at it later." Rosalie yelled as she ran into the waves, water splashing up around her. She jumped over a wave and leaped into Emmett's arms, laughing blissfully.

"Ready?" Edward took my hand. I smiled and nodded.

"Race you!" I ran out into the clear blue water and heard Edward's splashes as he followed me. I laughed and shrieked as I felt him grab me from behind and screamed for help. The others just laughed at us and joined in their own games.

When we finally settled down, the sun was setting and the sky was a beautiful sight. But I had no patience for scenery; I only wanted to see Edward. Sitting next to him on that beach, surrounded by my family, I knew I would never be alone again.


	30. Blindfolds

**Bella's POV**

Edward said he was taking me somewhere special. I was suspicious.

Alice came to my room and brought me an outfit. It was a short blue dress. Then, she and Rosalie did my hair and makeup. I told them not to make a fuss because it was only a date, but they told me that they were just bored and needed something to do.

A little while later Edward knocked on my door. "Come in," I called. Edward walked in wearing black pants and a black button down dress shirt. He looked better than incredible. The black clothes looked wonderful against his pale skin. I stared at him in awe for a moment before I realized what I was doing.

"I'm all set," I said.

"Good. Follow me." He led me downstairs and into one the fancy, special occasions cars that the Cullen's owned. I didn't know the name, nor did I think I would care. Edward helped me into the car and then jumped into the driver's side. Then he produced a piece of black cloth from his pocket.

"Turn around," he instructed. I stared at him, realizing that he was about to blind-fold me.

"Wait a minute, what do I need to be blindfolded for? And where are we going that we have to leave at four in the afternoon?" I waited for him to answer.

"I can't tell you that, Bella. It's a surprise, remember?" He grinned playfully and turned my shoulders so he could tie the blind fold on. Then I heard him put in a CD and a beautiful piano started playing.

"Alright, now just to warn you, it's a bit of a drive." I felt the car start to move.

"How long is 'a bit of a drive'?" I was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"About two hours, give or take." Edward said nonchalantly.

"What? Where on earth could you be taking me that would take two hours to drive to?" I was worried now.

"Now, Bella, don't be difficult. It will be worth it, I promise. And Alice assured me you would agree." He held my hand and soothingly stroked the back. I muttered a few profanities under my breath, but sat back to patiently wait out the ride.

Occasionally Edward and I talked idly about one thing or another, but mostly we rode in silence. A little less than two hours later, I felt the car come to a stop. Edward cut the engine.

"Are we there?" I asked excitedly. I wanted to see what was so special that we had to drive all that way for.

"Almost. I'll have to carry you the rest of the way." I groaned, but let him pick me up bridal style.

After a few minutes of air whooshing around my ears, Edward put me down. He held my hand and led me to a spot a few feet away.

"Are you ready?" I could hear the anticipation in his voice.

"Yes, Edward, take the damn blindfold off already!" He chuckled at my irritation. I didn't like being blind.

"Okay, here we are, love." He carefully slid the blindfold away from my eyes and I looked around, trying to find out what the surprise was. "Do you remember?"

We were at our meadow. That was one of my most prized human memories. I recognized the meadow even through the hazy, blurry vision of my human eyes. I couldn't believe that Edward had driven us all the way here. And the most spectacular part was that almost every inch of the meadow was covered in glowing candles. I was glad I couldn't cry, because I didn't want tears to distort this beautiful sight.

"Oh, Edward…" I couldn't find any words.

"Do you like it?" He sounded nervous.

"It's perfect. This is one of my favorite memories. It's so much more beautiful in real life, though. And all these candles! They're magical. How did you…?" He silenced me with his finger, and took my hand again to lead me over to a soft blanket that was spread out in the middle of the field. He sat and gestured for me to do the same. I turned to look in his eyes.

"Thank you," I breathed. "It's perfect." I leaned in to kiss him and he did the same. We spent a few moments exploring each other's mouths, but he finally pulled away.

"Bella?" His musical voice made my still heart flutter.

"Yes?" I was captivated by his gaze. He turned to fully face me, and got on one knee. What was he doing? Oh my god. Was he about to do what I think he was about to do? He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Yes. He was definitely about to propose. It was that, or he was playing a very cruel joke on me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you. I want to protect you and care for you for the rest of our lives. I want to be able to call you my wife and say you're mine. I want to give you everything you need. I want you to never be alone again. Bella, I promise to love you every day of forever. Will you marry me?"

I looked at him with imaginary tears in my eyes, and felt my heart finally close the wounds that it had been nursing for so long. I knew what he was saying was true, and that he would never leave me again. I also knew that I loved him, and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.

"Yes," I whispered. The grin that broke out on his face grew wider and wider until I was afraid that it was hurting him. He took the ring from the box and placed it on my finger. It was a beautiful, delicate, white gold ring, with a round diamond in the middle, and three tiny diamonds on either side. The ring band split around the diamonds and elegantly twisted to frame the big diamond, making the ring both simple and elegant. I loved it, and it suited me perfectly.

"It's beautiful, Edward. I love it." I tore my eyes away from the ring to look into his eyes. "Wow. That's three for three." Confusion flashed on his face. I smiled. "Well, first I got to visit the most beautiful place on earth, which I hadn't seen in twenty-five years. Then, the man I love asked me to marry him. And third, he gives me the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, which I get to keep on my finger for the rest of eternity. That's three for three." I grinned at him. He pulled me to him and started kissing me. Slowly, he leaned me back on the blanket so that he was on top of me. Then his lips started kissing down my neck, brushing my collarbone lightly. I shivered from the sensation, even though I knew I couldn't get cold.

But then I realized his lips weren't stopping. They were crossing all of the boundaries that he'd so carefully set in the last few weeks. I knew he wanted to wait until we were married until we made love. I put my hand gently on his shoulder.

"Edward, I thought you wanted to wait until we were married?" He returned my gaze, hunger evident in his eyes.

"I did. But isn't engaged close enough?" He smiled at me. "I can't resist you anymore, Isabella. You're just too tempting. I know Alice did this on purpose, dressing you like this just to tease me." His eyes raked over my body. "But I only want to do this if you do, Bella. It's perfectly alright if you're not ready. I don't want to pressure you into this just because I have no self-control."

I considered his words for a moment. Then, instead of replying, I responded with my actions. I started kissing him passionately, running my hands up and down his chest. He moaned against my mouth, and his hands held me tightly against his body.

"I love you. Always have, and always will," he whispered in my ear as he slid the straps of my dress off my shoulders.

"I love you, too," I whispered back.


	31. Outtake Scavenger Hunt

**Bella's POV – Outtakes – Scavenger Hunt**

"Okay, you all know the teams. Now it's time to lay down the rules. Esme?" Alice gestured to Esme.

"Right. Okay, each team will begin with $40. You may spend no more than that. If you do, your team is disqualified. Bring back all receipts." Alice bounced up and down in her seat as Esme spoke.

"Now, you may use one car, but only one. And you must stay within twenty-five feet of your teammate at all times. In other words, you can't split up or divide the list. No threatening people or doing anything illegal." Everyone looked at Emmett pointedly, who started protesting loudly before Esme shushed him.

"Now, each team will also be equipped with a camera! You must use this for part of the list because there are things you need to take photos of. There are no limits as far as how far away you can drive. But be careful not to run and attract attention. Oh, and Alice, you may not use your visions. Edward will help keep you honest, but we're trusting you." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Here are envelopes with your lists. Don't open them until I tell you to. They are all the same. Oh, and no using computers. You must ask people for help if you need it. The first team to return to me with every item on the list or the team with the most items by midnight wins. Did I forget anything?" She looked around the room.

"Okay, is everyone ready? On your mark, get set, go!" We all raced out the door and jumped into our cars. I opened the list as Edward sped out of the driveway.

Find and bring back the following:

Gas receipt for 50 cents

Chinese take-out menu

Business card for a gynecologist

Perfume sample

A ticket stub

Cherry scented candle

Mariah Carey CD

Size 11 Ladies Sneakers

Free promotional pen (with the company's name on it)

Answer:

How many swings are there it Pulony Park? _____

What is the area, in square feet, of the nearest ice skating rink? _____

What is the name of the school's janitor? _____________

Take a picture of:

Someone walking a dog

An out-of-state license plate

A human over 85 years old, holding their ID

Bathroom graffiti

A team member pumping a stranger's gas

"Wow, this is intense," I said after I read the list. I showed it to Edward.

"Yep, this is how my family does games. The others get really into it. Neither Alice nor Emmett like to lose. Okay, let's head to the gas station first."

Two minutes later we pulled up to the gas station and Edward jumped out of the car to pay cash inside. I saw the cashier give him a funny look when he found out how much he wanted to pay for, but he didn't question it. Edward raced back out and finished getting the gas. Then we saw a woman at the next pump. I pointed to her and held up the camera. Edward walked over to her.

"Excuse me ma'am, but could I offer to pump your gas for you?" She stared at him in disbelief. "You see, my family and I are doing a scavenger hunt, and we need a picture of a teammate pumping a stranger's gas. Would you mind?" I could tell he had dazzled her because she couldn't respond for several seconds.

"Um, sure, I guess." She stood awkwardly while Edward went over to her pump and held it while I took the picture.

"Thank you!" I called out as we raced back to the car. Once we were safely inside, we burst out laughing.

"Did you see her face?" I couldn't believe we had just done that.

"Bella, focus! We have to win!" He said, though he was still laughing.

"Okay, okay. What next?" I scanned the list.

"How about we head into town? We should be able to get most everything there." I nodded.

A few moments later, Edward pulled into the mall parking lot. We ran inside, and went into a travel agency where we Edward innocently asked one of the female employees for their pen. _Two down_, I thought.

Next was the perfume store, where we snagged a sample immediately. After running up and down the mall a few times, we finally got several other items, such as the candle, CD, and shoes.

As we ran back to the car, I told Edward to check all the license plates. Eventually we found one from Michigan, and I quickly took a picture.

We drove further into town and stopped at the movie theater. A man was exiting and I politely asked him if I could have his ticket stub. He gave me a weird look, so I decided to use my vampire powers on him. I took a step closer and looked at him from under my eyelashes, smiling sweetly. He blinked several times and then quickly handed me his ticket stub.

"Bella, go inside and see if you can take a picture of graffiti in the bathroom!" Edward called out the car window as he threw me the camera. I hurried inside and found the bathrooms, but they were all clean. I briefly considered writing my own graffiti to take a picture of, but figured that it wasn't really in the spirit of the game.

When I returned to the car, Edward was on the phone.

"I got the Janitor's name. It's Terrance." I scribbled it down on the list.

"There wasn't any graffiti," I told him. "I considered making my own, but didn't think that it would be right." Edward laughed.

"You have no idea how dirty the others play, Bella. They wouldn't have thought twice about that. But we'll find some somewhere else. Oh, and Bella? You have no idea how sexy you looked when you were asking that man for his ticket stub. I thought you were going to give him a heart attack." Edward leaned to kiss me passionately. Once again, I was grateful that I didn't need oxygen. A car behind us honked and I realized the light was green. Edward smiled at me and turned forwards as we sped off.

Edward drove by the park and I counted the swings. Eight.

Then he picked up his phone again and asked information for the nearest ice skating rink to the house. They connected him to the manager there, who was able to tell Edward how large the rink was. "He said their rink was 17,000 square feet. I hope he's right." I jotted down the number.

"Okay, where are we going to get a gynecologist's business card? And we still need a Chinese take-out menu." I checked off all the items we had already found.

"Well, I think there's a Chinese restaurant up here, and there's a free clinic nearby. Perhaps they would have one."

"Sounds like a good idea." He pulled up to the Chinese restaurant and I ran inside to ask for a take-out menu. The man behind the counter immediately presented me with one. I thanked him on my way out the door.

"Okay, here's the clinic. I think I'll have to come in with you because it's more than twenty-five feet away from the car." Edward parked the car and we ran inside to question all the staff members. Eventually one of the women produced a card from her purse. I thanked her profusely, and we dashed for the car. I knew we were in the final stretch.

"Okay, now all that's left are some of the pictures. We need someone walking a dog, a human over 85 years old, and bathroom graffiti."

We drove up and down the streets until we saw someone with their dog. I rolled down the window and snapped a picture. "Got it! Next?"

"Why don't we try this diner for bathroom graffiti? It doesn't look like they take very good care of it." Edward suggested.

I ran inside, nearly colliding with an old woman. "Wait! Excuse me, ma'am, but would you mind if I asked how old you are?"

She stared at me suspiciously. "I'm 89. What's it to you?"

"Well, could I possibly take your picture? With your ID? My family is doing a scavenger hunt and I need picture of someone over 85 years old." I crossed my fingers and hoped she would agree.

"Make it quick." She whipped out her ID, and held it next to her face while I took the picture.

"Thank you so much!" I yelled as I entered the diner. I found the bathroom, which fortunately contained suitable graffiti. I snapped a picture and ran back to Edward.

"I got the graffiti _and _the person over 85!" I said proudly.

"Perfect! Now what?" I examined the list.

"Wait, we're done! Drive, Edward, drive! We have to beat the others home!" I urged him to go.

We sped home at over 150 miles per hour. As soon as we turned onto the road that led to the driveway, I noticed Alice and Jasper gaining on us.

"Edward, faster! They're right behind us!" I shrieked, twisting around to see how close they were. Edward floored it, and we sped even faster towards the house.

"They're still gaining on us!" I willed the car to go faster.

"Bella, I'm going to pull up to the door. You grab the bag and run in to Esme. I'll be right behind you." I readied myself as the house came into view. Edward hardly slowed down as we approached it, and I prepared to throw myself out the door. At the last second, he slammed on the break and we skidded to a stop. I was out the door before the car had stopped, up the steps and inside. I found Esme in the kitchen and threw myself in front of her. I heard Alice and Edward one step behind me.

"Esme! We're done! We got it all!" I showed her our things.

"Okay, sit down. You too, Alice." Alice's eyes were flaming mad.

"Okay, as long as you and Edward get everything right, you win! Rosalie and Emmett made it back a few minutes ago but they got an item wrong."

"What do you mean, they got something wrong?"

"Instead of a Chinese take-out menu, Emmett got a _Japanese _take-out menu." Jasper started howling with laughter, and I couldn't help but join in.

Esme finished checking our items. "Well, it looks like it's all here! Well done! Now, I do believe you boys had a bet going."

Edward smirked. "Yes, and you four can look forward to wearing _Smurf _costumes to the New Year's party at Patrick Stevens' house." Alice and Jasper groaned and I heard a growl come from somewhere upstairs.

"Let's go celebrate," Edward suggested casually and flashed me his crooked smile. We headed upstairs to his room.


End file.
